Dreams, Lies, and Faceless Masks
by MademoiselleTalya
Summary: Set after the In Water ending in Silent Hill 2. James wakes up and learns that he can't die until he finishes what he left undone in the town. Raited M because of violence and sexual themes, and it'll be yaoi. IN HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

**Dreams, Lies, and Faceless Masks**

_If all we liked_

_Could simply come by willpower_

_If all we hated_

_Could vanish away when we wanted_

_We would live in such a beautiful world_

_All we wanted near, all we hated gone_

_Love, freedom, life_

_Ghosts, guilt, lies_

_Living a creation of our own_

_Living our fake reality_

_Alone…_

_------_Chapter I: Awakening_------_

Toluca Lake was at peace, once again. In contrast to the previous nights, when the water took every boat, every lonely soul daring to approach the lake, engulfing them in its wild waves, now the soft movement and calm breeze were back. The shore, hurt of the abuse from the other nights, now rested peacefully caressed by the soft little waves that touched the sand.

Said waves, moving softly like a hand cupping the most delicate object, caressed clothing, hair, leather and skin. Softly, making strands of blond hair float when the water pooled around its owner, the water kept touching the already soaked clothes and teased the skin now, waiting for a response. A constant reminder of cold, pain, shivers, and things only something capable to feel could sense. Something _alive_.

Slowly, the water making said effects, the man lying on the shore face-down into the sand came back to his senses. First it was those feelings -cold, pain, and shivers-, then it was movement, after that came taste: Sand on his mouth. Coughing, using the strength he thought was nonexistent to pull his face and torso away from the sand, he reached out and rubbed his nose, again because of the sand, the salty and dirty smell of wet dirt everywhere.

And then came sight.

Painful, decisive sight. Just a glance at the sand, at the water that appeared sometimes, and the hands -his own hands- holding him up, and reality was back. Hitting him in the face so hard his arms gave out and he fell with his face into the sand, again. Hiding his eyes from the truth. Hiding his sobs from himself.

He couldn't hide it for too long - his whole body was shaking with his sobs, quickly turning into full-blown crying. Pulling his face away from the sand, the blond man brushed away his tears, still not believing what he was seeing, or what he was feeling.

And that was exactly the problem; he was feeling.

He was alive.

Alive and crying. After going through a living hell, after facing so many emotions, after his whole being collapsed with the truth… After all he had wanted was a peaceful, eternal rest, he was back and alive. And crying. He hadn't shed a single tear during his whole trip, and it seemed they all wanted to come out now, mixing with the water the came in soft, slow waves.

But he needed to be strong. He needed to face his situation, stand straight, and do something about it. He got on his knees, sighing. He wasn't good at facing things.

"Open your eyes."

Suddenly, a shiver. He hadn't even realized his eyes were tightly closed. He opened them, green orbs aching because of the sudden light, and saw _red_. He felt his blood starting to boil, hands trembling at the sight before him. So he wasn't alone at all.

"Y-You." He muttered, hatred filling the only word he was able to spill. Before him was that sick, twisted monster he had seen before - the red pyramid thing, or as he called, Pyramid Head. Before he could rage at the monster all the pent-up frustration he had, a heavy boot slammed against his chest, pushing him to his back into the water rather pathetically.

"Do not talk." The monster talked again, his voice sending chills up and down the blonde's spine. His voice felt like a hand groping around his body, almost scaring him to death with every word.

"Where's Mary?" He demanded, sitting in the sand, not even caring about the water. He was already soaked, anyway. "Where is she?!"

"Dead, resting." Pyramid Head walked closer to him, making the man flinch a little. He couldn't help it; the bloodied apron and the huge red pyramid helmet were more than just shocking. "Unlike you."

"You were… You t-took me from… Y-You."

"Yes, James."

The man shook his head, not able to handle his anger anymore. He was hugging his wife, trying to give her corpse his warmth before they both fell with the car into the lake, and now this monster came and ripped them apart. He had savored sweet, painless death, and now he was back into the reality he hated to face: his life.

"You can't die yet."

"Says who?!" James snapped, standing up. His clothes felt awfully uncomfortable sticking to his body, but he couldn't care less. He was about to start a blind run through the lakeshore, away from the monster to clear his mind and think of something to do, but a giant knife stained with blood blocked his way, reading his mind.

"It doesn't matter. You have things to do here in Silent Hill."

"I hope one of them is dying." James couldn't really believe how those words came from his mouth, but they did. He was convinced. There wasn't any other way to go, not after doing what he did.

"You left something undone." The knife lowered, and Pyramid Head walked closer to James, making the man step back into the water that was now almost reaching his knees. "Finish this task, and you shall be free."

"What task?" The man ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep the bangs away from his eyes. He couldn't miss any movement from the red demon that could slice him in two at any moment. He wouldn't mind, though - Death was welcomed no matter how.

"Laura. She's planning things that can get out of her hands."

"…W-What things?"

"Mary's rebirth."

James seemed in shock, and Pyramid Head let the information sink in, staring -or facing, in his case- at the confused man in front of him. The blonde opened his mouth, trying to say something, but the words were stuck on his throat. Laura wouldn't… She couldn't. Though, the little girl was pretty broken after he told her the news… That Mary was dead… Because of…

"N-No!" He screamed, backing more into the water. He eventually fell back, his legs trembling at his own thoughts. It _was_ his fault if something happened to Laura. It was _his_ fault. Everything was his fault. Couldn't the world just leave him alone? Let him be? Let him _rest_? He hadn't noticed, but with his whole body underwater, the waves were already carrying him away. He closed his eyes, pretending to let his head fall into the water too, but a firm, gloved hand grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him roughly out of the water.

"I already told you. You cannot die." His deep voice said again, before throwing James to the sand like some sort of puppet. "Stop Laura from getting involved with forces she cannot handle, and you shall be free."

The man got up, coughing and wiping the sand from his face once again. As soon as he was on his foot, though, the same strong hand held his shoulder, preventing him from running away.

"L-Leave me alone." He muttered, but the helmet before him shook from left to right. "What do _you_ want from me?!"

"I want nothing. I have to make sure you remain alive until you fulfill your task."

"You won't be there to stop me every time." James pulled the gloved hand away, disgusted at feeling how it was wet and somewhat…sticky.

"Do not test me." The monster growled, this time his voice making James' legs tremble. How could he be so vulnerable? He was never like this before! "That said, come. I will give you shelter and Laura's location."

"I won't." The blonde walked away from the demon, trying his luck. Pyramid Head did nothing more than grip his Great Knife, pulling it closer to him.

"It's not a question."

"Going with you isn't an option for me, either." He answered, walking back slowly. He didn't know where he was, but fences could be jumped over, walls could be climbed, and in the worst case, the lake was still there. He stared as Pyramid Head moved slowly, facing away from him, and started walking away. Was it that easy? He finally gave up? James sighed, still eyeing the creature in case he came back, taking slow, careful steps away. Once he was sure the monster gave up, he turned around and ran for it.

But as soon as the lake, the shore behind him and the wall surrounding the small beach came into sight, and before his feet could even start moving, something hard hit the back of his head, turning everything into a blur that soon became pitch-black darkness.

Waking up never hurt that much, before. His eyelids felt heavy, his whole body numb. Like a ragdoll. James looked up around him, and found the world moving around him, yet he didn't feel his legs moving. Blinking, he realized he was actually _hanging_. He looked at the bloodied back in front of his face, and quickly looked back finding the back of a red helmet next to him.

"Let me go!" He demanded, but the hand on his back has holding him firmly in place, on the monster's shoulder.

"You woke up too soon." Pyramid Head simply replied, walking at a quicker pace. James let out a frustrated sigh and decided to look around: It was Silent Hill, at least. Streets he already knew. He noticed the monster wasn't carrying his Great Knife, and a bit of relief washed over him. But then he realized, _relief_? He wanted to die, for God's sake! And it didn't matter if it was ripped to pieces or impaled on a giant sword. He wanted and _needed_ to see his wife again, and death was the only option. "You should stop thinking like that."

"Like what?" The blonde answered too fast, almost afraid. Was the monster reading his thoughts? Nonsense. Perhaps something had slipped out loud.

"Solutions aren't so simple." Was the simple answer, that left James to his thoughts. That wasn't true, sometimes they were… "Things like death won't fix everything."

"What do _you_ know?" He mumbled, tired of the topic. He wasn't listening to any advice given by a twisted, repulsive monster.

"More than you know." Pyramid Head stopped near an alley, and shifted James so he was carrying him bridal-style, paying no attention to the blonde's protests. "Be quiet already."

"Let go!" James struggled to break free, but the monster's hands held him like chains. Frustrated, he let his head hang back, looking at the red helmet that apparently wasn't even listening to him. But then, did he even listen? And how? From his position, James caught a glimpse of what was under the helmet. He narrowed his eyes, if it wasn't for how dark it was, he could see if the creature was human, or if it even had a face. Whatever was under there was vital, too; he remembered that horrific battle against two of his kind and how they killed themselves. So it had to be a face, or a head… Perhaps if he got closer? If he tilted his head?

"Stop that."

Right when he was about to catch a glimpse of anything, James fell roughly on the street, glaring up at the monster.

"I wasn't doing anything." He replied, stubbornly. He was about to stand up, when a hand grabbed his hair, awkwardly forcing him to stay on his place. "Stop that--"

"Silence. Watch." Pyramid Head commanded, his helmet facing the end of the alley. James looked in that direction, seeing nothing but a part of the street and fog. He was about to complain or try to get away, when he saw her.

Laura.

It almost broke his heart to see her. Her hair was still held up, but more strands were falling from her ponytail, giving her a messy look. She gave slow yet decided steps, but there was something in her eyes - she wasn't like before. The fierce, raw, childish energy was gone. Deeply, James felt like he had killed the poor child's spirit.

"Go after her." Pyramid Head ordered, snapping the man out of his thoughts. "Convince her to leave Silent Hill and leave things how they are."

"I can't…" James muttered, but before he could react, the strong hand threw him out of the alley, into the street. He fell roughly on his back, wondering how the monster could lift him with just one hand.

He had another business at hand, though. If he wanted to leave Silent Hill, to leave his life and leave this hell, he had to convince Laura. The girl that was now looking at him awkwardly.

"You." She spat, and James quickly got up, dusting off his clothes.

"Laura, I--"

"Shut up." Laura turned away from him, and walked away, ponytail dancing behind her. "I don't talk to murderers."

It was hard work. He followed her, trying to ignore the little pain growing in his heart. It almost felt like she had slashed at him.

"Don't follow me!" She snapped, turning around. James sighed, and tried to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, Laura, listen to me…"

"Why should I?!" She shrugged his hand off, backing away from him. James flinched lightly; was she _scared_ of him? "You're a liar! A liar and a murderer!"

"I… I know." He sighed, his voice sounding slightly hoarse. Some things still were hard to say. "I-I know… But I care for you, Laura…"

"Really?" The girl tilted her head, her blue eyes piercing him. "You don't care for _anyone_, James!"

"Please, leave Silent Hill." James gritted his teeth, closing his eyes for a few seconds. Talking with Laura was turning difficult. Besides, he did care for people! He truly did! Laura knew nothing. Nothing at all.

"I won't. _You_ leave the world, James. Do us all a favor!"

"This place is dangerous, Laura, please…" She didn't know. She didn't have _any_ idea.

"I told you, I won't!"

"Please--" Not the slightest idea.

"Stop trying! You don't care! You _never_ cared!" What did she know? She never felt anything, she wasn't on his shoes, she didn't…

Then _why_ did it hurt so much?

"Don't follow me." Laura spat, and walked away quickly. When she was far, she started running, letting out a sob that still reached James ears. He looked up, seeing her small frame disappearing in the fog. She was _crying_. He made her cry.

This was turning yet again into a nightmare, way too fast.

Maybe it wasn't even the first time. All the time wandering, getting out of the hotel, getting to his car, then into the lake… Where _was_ she? Broken, crying? Traveling alone around the town? She was with Eddie before, but… But he had killed Eddie too.

Just who was he? He slowly tore a poor little girl _apart_.

He was a monster.

"Where did she go?"

Speaking of the devil.

"I don't know." James muttered, eyes fixed on the street. He hadn't noticed when he fell on his knees; he didn't even know how much time had passed since Laura left. He just caught a glimpse of a long, dirty black boot, and he knew he had to do something.

"She's not the problem." The boot got closer to him. He knew it; James could feel the stare fixed on him. Even though the monster didn't have any visible eyes, he could almost _touch_ the intense glare. "You are the problem."

"I'm not."

"You didn't do anything for her, James."

Lies.

"I tried."

Now he could see both boots, closer to him. Slowly, he got up, his stare still fixed on the street. Laura didn't know, neither did Pyramid Head. He acted like he did, but he had no idea, not the slightest fucking idea.

"If you had tried, it would've worked out." The terrifying voice ran up and down his spine, pulling at his skin. It made him shiver, stumbling lightly to his side. He had to get away. He had no time to waste.

In a matter of seconds, his legs were dragging him away, running like he never had. He looked at his shoulder, and saw a piece of his jacket missing. He couldn't feel it now, but the strong grip that had tried to hold him in place left bruises. But it didn't matter. He had to focus, focus on running, running wherever his legs took him. He saw his surroundings, a familiar street, familiar buildings, a tall fence…

He quickly turned to his right and pushed open the doors, closing with a loud _thud_. He kept running, crashing against a wall, but never stopping. Maybe his nose was bleeding, but it didn't matter; he knew the place by heart - A few turns, and he pushed open a door, running up the stairs.

Disappearing in the darkness that was Brookhaven Hospital.

First chapter of this fanfic I'm working on. It's going to be big, or so I hope! ~ It'll be yaoi eventually, and the raiting will go up in the following chapters. Hope you guys like it!


	2. Chapter 2: Sight

**Dreams, Lies, and Faceless Masks**

_------_Chapter II: Sight_------_

The sky looked beautiful, actually.

It surprised him. He would've expected a cloudy sky, maybe even a red sky, come to think of it; it _was_ Silent Hill after all. But no, it was grey like everything else, but a softer, lighter grey. He could even feel the sun warming him a bit.

Last time he had been here, the sky had been pitch black. But now he could see the fog. Under it was supposed to be the floor, the floor that was going to give him his desired death. Stepping closer to the edge, he gave a long breath - he had to be brave. This was it. Looking behind him, he checked there was no monster around. Gasping softly, he got even closer to the edge, looking down. At least there wasn't any vertiginous sensation since he couldn't really see where he was going to fall.

Taking a deep breath, James gave one final step, letting himself fall down the side of the hospital. The seconds felt like minutes. He felt like he was on slow motion, and it was amazing. He felt light, wind caressing his hair, and the feeling pooling on his stomach making it better. It was like giving yourself to destiny, to whatever that powerful entity wanted to do with you - it almost felt like it was taking care of him. It, that feeling, decided when he died, how, and how fast. And in the few seconds it lasted, he finally felt what he had longed for years - freedom.

"It's very sunny today."

If anyone said that Heaven was bright white and golden while Hell was black and red, he was probably right. Opening his eyes proved to be a difficult task, the light was unbearable. Only slowly, taking his time, his pupils finally adjusted to the light and he could make out a few silhouettes in the room, all bathed in the bright light. There was someone by his side - someone that was talking. There was someone else standing, talking too. But just what were they saying? If he could only focus…

"…this summer's been strange, though. It's not hot, neither is it cold…"

"It's better that way, don't you think?"

Voices, voices… He closed his eyes, trying to focus on hearing - since he couldn't really see well; he might as well try something else. One voice made him alert; he could hear every single word in that voice. The other one didn't have the same effect, he couldn't catch its entire phrases well. But why? Why was it so… _familiar_?

"He's waking up!"

"He didn't take that much damage; I'm glad he recovered fast."

"Honey, can you hear me?"

Way too familiar.

"M-Mary…" He choked out, while trying not to cry. What _was_ this all about? His wife… His beautiful wife, dressed in a white dress, her hair down - he always loved when she wasn't wearing it up -, a smile on her face…

Her face.

Clean, milky white skin, gorgeous sparkling eyes. Her lips were rosy and desirable, she was just _astounding_. He felt more in love than ever, watching her come closer, a delicate hand wrapping around his own.

"It's okay, James. Don't move or speak if it hurts, okay?" She said, placing her free hand on James' cheek. She was so warm, so soft, so alive…

"I-I'm okay." He breathed out; trying to sit up, but he couldn't even move his back.

"It's normal, James. Your muscles are recovering." James turned his head, now he could understand what the other person was saying. It was a nurse, a young lady, with a strange glint in her reddish eyes. She patted his arm, and smiled kindly. "Stay up, yes? It'll be lunchtime soon."

"Can't he rest?" Mary spoke up, her hand tightly holding her husband's. James smiled, pulling her closer to kiss her cheek. "Aw, look at you… You should sleep."

"No, he has to stay awake." The nurse kept her smile, but her tone was firm.

"Nonsense." The woman looked at James, and charmed him again with those sweet, adorable eyes he had fell in love with. "Just close your eyes, honey. It'll be alright."

It had to be alright. He was holding his wife's hand, maybe he was in a hospital - it didn't matter as long as he was with her. Slowly, he let his eyelids fall, still smiling sweetly at the woman of his dreams.

"Wake up." The nurse pressed again, this time grabbing his wrist. "Do not fall asleep."

"It's okay, James. Rest."

His eyelids felt heavy, and he closed his eyes, feeling safe. He had to trust his beloved. Mary has here with him, after all, what could go wrong?

"Wake up."

It didn't matter what the nurse said. Mary was there.

"Wake up, now."

She was holding him, hugging him, her hand caressing his chest beneath the covers. Smiling at him, kissing his lips. The woman of his dreams.

"This will be the last time I tell you…"

It was all he needed.

"_Wake up!"_

Suddenly, the nurse's soft hand on his wrist turned into an iron grip, pulling him and throwing him out of the bed. He fell roughly on the dirty floor, the taste of metal on his mouth. Still, he was held up by the same grip on his hand, his body being pulled up like some sort of ragdoll. He looked back, wanting Mary's help - but she wasn't there.

Neither was the hospital. Or the windows. Or the light.

In fact, the room was almost pitch-black, if it wasn't because of a candle in the corner and a small, old lamp on top of an equally old metallic table. The bed wasn't soft nor white; it was made of steel, with old bed sheets thrown on it. The mattress was a just a thin layer that didn't do much against the bars under the bed.

Though, the worst part was what he thought was a nurse.

As soon as he looked up, he felt like crying. _Yet again_. It was almost like a bad joke. He had tasted sweet death again, then he saw and felt happiness itself with his wife, and now they threw him back into hell, into _reality_, like nothing had happened. And the worst was that nothing had happened, indeed. What he saw was only a dream, just a delusion, a fantasy - a _lie._ And that hurt more than anything else.

"L-Let go of me!" He managed to say, between sobs. The monster holding him up didn't even move.

"No."

"P-Please…" James pleaded, not even struggling to break free. Painfully, the creature lifted him higher and left him on the bed, finally letting go of his wrist.

"You failed, James."

It took some time until he was able to talk again - Pyramid Head had left the room locked, and came back after many hours. His apron was even bloodier, and he carried the Great Knife with him. He closed the door and left his knife next to it, walking over to the bed and the shaking figure on top of it.

"Why is this happening?" James whispered, avoiding looking at the creature. Pyramid Head rested his hands on the tall bed, his helmet a bit too close to the man's face.

"You chose your own destiny, James."

"I d-did not…" The man started, but sighed when he saw it was useless.

"See?" The monster turned and took a glass of water from the table next to the bed, and gave it to James. "It's not hard to face the truth."

James didn't answer. He slowly drank the water, after a close inspection. You could never trust anything Silent Hill brought you. Much less from the hands of a monster.

"Keep facing it, and you shall succeed."

"And what does _that_ have to do with everything?" He said bitterly, glaring at the helmet. He wanted to burn holes through the metal with his eyes. He wished he could.

"Everything."

"I didn't--"

"Laura's comments affected you." Pyramid Head kept staring at him, or so he thought. James moved a bit to the side, looking away. It was a bit distressing not knowing if the creature could see him. "Do I need to continue, to make my point?"

"What if I don't want to succeed?"

"You don't have that choice."

The blonde looked back at him again, narrowing his eyes. This time, he moved closer to him, and grabbed the front edges of the helmet. It was rough; some parts even hurt his skin. It was just a pile of old, oxidized metal.

"You won't be there every single time." He said, looking straight into the worn-out red surface before him. If the creature had eyes, they had to be at that level. "I-I don't know how you caught me last time… But I'll keep trying. And you simply won't be there."

"Is it a bet?" The monster grabbed James' wrists tightly, pulling his hands away from his helmet. "You can never know, James. Think."

"Stop telling me what to do." The man pulled his hands away, falling back into the bed. He wasn't expecting the monster to let go of him that quickly. From that angle, yet again, he caught a glimpse of under the helmet - the same doubt flooding back through his thoughts. Perhaps the creature wasn't invincible. His weak spot had to be there.

"You'll receive your punishment, James." Pyramid Head walked away from the bed, and the blonde could _sense_ that the monster knew he was looking under his helmet. He was definitely hiding it. "Tomorrow you'll try again. Fail, and you will be punished again."

"You can't kill me." James kept his eyes on him, tilting his head to the side. Pyramid Head glanced at him, and felt the defiant glint on his green eyes.

"Punishment isn't only physical."

The man didn't exactly know what to think, busy running the words through his head. It wasn't only physical. What, the monster was going to insult him? _That_ was punishment? Sounded too simple for a repulsive creature like him. It had to be something else. Before he could ask, Pyramid Head left the room once again. He frowned, looking at the door. He heard him carrying his Great Knife, and only when he couldn't hear anything else, he stepped off the bed.

First things first, he inspected the room. He stood up with the help of the table, shivering lightly. His back hurt too much, just what had happened after he jumped off the hospital? Surely he didn't hit the ground. But it didn't matter now, at least he could walk.

He checked the lamp, the drawers, under the bed… Everything was empty and old, even rotten. He was surprised the lamp worked. The furniture was just that, the bed and the table. In the corner was a pair of chairs, on top of one was the candle and on the other his green jacket.

Something caught his eye, though. The doorknob was missing, so you had to turn a small metal tube where the knob was supposed to be attached to open the door. It was locked, of course, but something else bothered him. On the wall in front of his bed was the same tube sticking out of the oxidized, crusty wall. He walked over to it and turned it, and to his surprise, it moved. He turned it again and pulled softly, the wall moving slightly in the area around it. Definitely, a door. He tried pulling it again, with one foot against the wall for help, and the door started appearing, tugging at the old layer of paint, ripping it.

He had successfully uncovered the top half of the door, and was now slowly ripping the lower part, when the other door opened and a large knife pointed at him, the tip slightly touching his cheek.

"Go back to the bed." Pyramid Head ordered, and James looked at him, touching the tip of the knife. It cut his skin, a small drop of blood falling to the floor.

"What's behind that door?" He asked, sliding his hand up so the knife cut down to his wrist. The monster quickly moved his knife away, leaving it next to the door. "Something you're hiding, mh? I'm not supposed to see?"

"You don't _want_ to see, James." The creature walked over to him and picked him up by his waist, making the blonde struggle in discomfort. He dropped him on top of the bed, and placed a hand on his chest, holding him in place. "You just don't want to understand, do you?"

"I asked a simple question."

"Convince Laura. You'll have all your questions answered, then."

"It's all about her, isn't it?" The man sighed, watching the blood slowly dripping from his hand. "Why can't you just scare her away? Give me a car, and I'll drive her far from the town. It's that easy."

"The problem is not her presence, James. It's her intentions. But you…" Pyramid Head got closer to the bed, and grabbed the blonde's injured wrist, tightly. "…You think solving problems is just pushing them away."

"L-Let go--"

"No. They'll come back to you, James." This time he grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers together. James gasped lightly at the pain, feeling how the creature had five fingers even though his glove showed only three. "They always do. Nothing is left unfinished."

"What does have t-to do with…?"

"_I _am who makes them come back, James. I'm here for that. To punish you until every lie and every illusion is cleared."

James narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth to say something, but it was replaced with a small scream when the monster tightened his grip around the injured hand, squeezing it, more blood dripping down to the floor. He looked up at the helmet, not able to form any words, feeling slightly dizzy. Maybe it was the loss of blood, but he hadn't noticed it was that bad. Finally, Pyramid Head released him, making him quickly pull back his hand. The monster bent down, and ripped a piece of his bloodied apron, wrapping it tightly around James' hand.

"It's t-too tight…"

"It will stop the blood." The monster said, making a tight knot to finish bandaging him. James placed his hand on top of his own chest, expecting it to turn blue at any second. "Sleep now. Rest."

Even though he didn't feel exactly safe enough to fall asleep on a hard bed in a cold dark room, between the dizziness and being tired James was sure he could fall at any second now. Pyramid Head noticed this and walked away from him, turning off the lamp. He walked to the candle, but hesitated when the blonde let out a faint noise. Facing him, noticing how his eyelids were barely staying up, he turned around and took his knife, leaving the room with the door locked. James sighed lightly, resting his head on the pillow. He looked up at the ceiling that was slowly fading away as his eyelids finally gave up, thankful that the monster had at least left the candle's dim light for the night.

The sound of faint crying and whimpers woke him up. He rubbed his eyes, and immediately noticed the he didn't have the bandage on his hand, neither was he injured. In fact, he was sitting on a chair, instead of the bed. He looked around, confused - He knew this place. Room 312 in the Lakeview Hotel. James blinked, standing up. Was he dreaming? Maybe it was yet another illusion, like the one he had after jumping from the hospital. He sighed heavily, rubbing his hair. He didn't need more of this nonsense.

Right then, he noticed he wasn't alone - there was someone sitting on the bed. He looked at the figure staring out of the window, and recognized the clothes his wife used to wear. Her hair was up, just like in the last videotape he had filmed of her. But then he realized, he was back in their vacations in Silent Hill. The room was just like that time, decorated, a few empty cups on the coffee table, just like back then - Back when Mary was still healthy, when the sickness hadn't taken over her. He walked over to the bed, a smile forming on his lips. _This_ was his dear wife, his dear Mary…

"Mary?" He called, narrowing his eyes at the bright light out of the window. The sky wasn't even blue, it was a blinding white. His wife seemed to react, shoulders moving up, and turning her head slowly.

At the same pace, James' smile turned into a grimace of shock, of disgust.

Mary stood up suddenly, her body twitching; reminding James of the nurse monsters he had to fight once. Strands of hair fell into her diseased face, but they failed to cover the twisted smile that formed on her mouth, showing her sickly colored teeth.

"James…" She said, giving one step closer to him, opening her arms. With horror, James could see how one of her fingers was almost hanging from her hand, broken. She gave another step, and the man couldn't help but step back, eyes open to the limit. The woman stopped, then, arms lowering to hang by her side. "James? James?"

"M-Mary…" He muttered, not able to voice his questions: Was that her? What had happened? Why…?

"J-James!" She let out a scream, throwing her head back. She looked at James again, her badly deformed face now showing entirely. There were lumps in every part of her face; her skin was even ripped around her eyes, showing flesh. "Y-You don't… Y-You don't love me, James…"

"M-Mary, I…" James was speechless, backing off more. His wife put her hand over her face, sobbing loudly. Though, James noticed, the sobs didn't sound human at all.

"Y-You can't love a monster like me!" She screamed again, her voice sounding like every scream was tearing her throat apart. "I'm a monster… I'm horrible… I'm disgusting…" She repeated, gripping her hair. James blinked, and fought his will to walk closer to her.

"No, Mary… You're not…" He managed to say, and it seemed to calm her. Mary looked up from her hands, looking at her husband, her body starting to shake.

"You don't deserve someone like t-this, James…Someone ugly, like me…" She whispered, and buried her face against on her hands. "I'm horrible! I don't want to be like this anymore, James! _I don't!!_" She said, and then let out a piercing scream while her nails dig into the skin of her forehead. With a quick movement, she threw her face back, the ripping sound echoing through the silent room. She looked over at James, who was trembling, staring at her in a shock. Smiling sadly, Mary let the pieces of her skin fall to the floor, and started walking over to him again, slowly. "L-Love me, James…"

In a second, all blood came back to James' legs and made him run away as fast as he could, crashing against the door. He tried opening it, almost ripping the doorknob off, but it was useless. Locked.

"J-James, love… It's me, it's me now…" Mary whispered, walking closer to him. She placed one hand on her chest and pulled again, making James let out a yelp, looking for the keys on his pockets. But they were _nowhere_. His wife quickly reached him and pushed him to the floor, his back against the door. "Honey, it's me…"

"G-Get… G-Get away…"

"James…"

Ever so slowly, he watched in horror as Mary's skinless face got closer and closer, dirty, broken fingers cupping his face. He couldn't even control the trembling of his body as she kneeled in front of him, the broken fingers caressing his skin and the bleeding, deformed lips pressed against his own.

"_AHHH!"_

All of a sudden, he jumped and opened his eyes, feeling all the blood come back to his face as he panted, gripping the dirty bed sheets. He looked around - chairs, candle, hidden door, door, table, lamp - and finally let out another scream, letting his head fall down into his hands.

Only once his breathing calmed, the feeling of the nightmare washed away, reality coming back with the coldness of the room, and the darkness. Just this time he thanked it was all a nightmare, even though the memories were still vivid on his mind. He could still feel the rough skin on his hand, he could still see his wife's face, he could still taste her on his lips… And everything came to him. He felt his stomach twitch, and he quickly looked down the side of the bed as the few contents of his stomach came back out. Coughing, he made sure he was done, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He hadn't felt that sick in a long time.

"For the love of…" James whispered, sitting up. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to fight the pain on his stomach, but the images quickly appeared and he had to open them, fixing his stare on anything in the room, anything but those horrible images. He hugged himself with shaky hands, and felt the tears finally running down his cheeks. Every time he let his mind slip away into his thoughts, he saw it again, he saw _her_ again. He tried to focus on something, on the candle slowly burning down, but they were still there. The haunting images walking closer to him.

He stood there for a while, trembling and hugging himself, trying to give his body warmth. Apparently, the shock had left him cold, too, and the candle's fire was about to reach the bottom, the light getting weaker. He let out a shaky breath. Alone, scared, and in complete darkness? It just wasn't fair…

"You were warned, James." The door creaked open and the voice echoed through the room, making the man jump on his place, nearly fainting from the scare. His wide green eyes looked at the pyramid-shaped crimson helmet on the doorway, and the first thought that came to his head was that comparing it to his nightmares, the monster was much more pleasant to watch now.

"W-What?" He asked, not sure if the monster had said something. There was a constant ringing on his ears since he had woken up.

"I warned you about your punishment."

As the creature walked closer to him and placed an old bag on the table, the information sank into his mind, James' eyes narrowing. It was _him_. The horrible nightmares were because of him! It was all his fault!

"Y-You… You did t-this." He said, noticing his voice was trembling, too. The helmet before him shook from left to right.

"Almost. I did it, you caused it." He said, taking a bottle from the bag and a small cotton ball. With a fast movement, he grabbed James' wrist, holding it firmly up. "You will learn, someday."

"I-It was _your_ fault! You gave me nightmares, y-you made me…!"

"Mixing it up again, James." Pyramid Head took off the bandages, and while the blonde's body shook, struggling to get away from him, his hand was still held firmly in place. "Think harder." He added, pouring some of the strange liquid on James' hand, spreading it all over his skin.

"A-Ah…!" The man let out a shriek, biting his lower lip to avoid screaming. The liquid felt like acid on his skin, burning him. Without even letting it dry, the creature bandaged his hand with a clean piece of cloth, again securing it with a tight knot. He noticed the trembling on the man, and hesitated a bit before placing his hand on his shoulder.

"It will heal faster that way."

"I-It hurts like hell…" James breathed out; waving his hand to dry the horrible liquid, fearing it would slide down to his arm. He hadn't noticed the hand on his shoulder until it moved, touching his cheek. He froze, then, not sure of what to do. He didn't trust the monster that close.

"Sleep, and they'll come back. I'm warning you." The low voice seemed softer this time, but it could've been thanks to the ringing on his ears. Why would the monster treat him nicely? "Don't fail tomorrow, and you'll sleep peacefully."

_Dead_. James added in his thoughts, looking to the corner of the room, trying to avoid the hand on his cheek. At least the glove was clean now, instead of bloody and sticky. He saw the fire on the candle slowly dying down, leaving the room in pitch-black darkness. Worst part was that he wasn't sure if he should feel better with company, or worse, since the company was the monster of his nightmares.

But wasn't his dear Mary the monster of his nightmares, now?

The mere thought made him shiver, all the images coming back to him like a waterfall. He just couldn't stop them. He closed his eyes, tightening his fists. Go away, go away, go away… Trying to fight the endless river of horror that wanted to push him down, he didn't noticed how he leaned into the monster's touch, moving slightly closer to him.

"W-What if I fall asleep again?" He wondered out loud, not really asking. Pyramid Head kept his silence, knowing the man hadn't finished. "I-I can't stay up. I-I'll fall asleep. It'll come back…"

The creature moved slowly away from him, and James quickly moved away too, noticing how his hand was even gripping Pyramid Head's arm. He felt himself blush a little, but focused on the footsteps. The heard the monster walk away from the bed, and his shoulders fell down in defeat. Now he had to cope with staying awake, in the dark. He was sure he would doze off at any minute.

While wondering why he hadn't heard the door yet, the light came back to the room, a new candle giving it's warmth to his side, the chair now closer to him. Blinking, he watched as Pyramid Head walked away, closing the door behind him and locking it as always.

**End of Chapter 2. **

Did this while trying to keep myself inspirated, it was very, very hard. Describing was the worst part, I keep running out of words so I have to check for synonyms and such. Also, I think I'll move the raiting up to M for the descriptions, to be safe.

I'm really glad people liked this story, I hope you liked this chapter as well! Please review, I'll answer any questions you have, and if there are any mistakes please do let me know! ~


	3. Chapter 3: Hopes

------Chapter III: Hopes------

So far, he had burnt his hand about ten times, caught the edge of the bed sheet on fire around three times, and right now he was burning the used cotton ball Pyramid Head left, watching it turn darker and darker, slowly consumed by the flames. Once it turned to ashes, James looked around, rubbing his eyes. There was nothing else to do with the candle, and the rest of the room was equally as boring. He yawned, the fear of falling asleep slowly coming back to him, making his shake his head. He had to be strong! It was just a matter of staying up. He had gone through worse.

Sitting on the bed, eyes fixed again on the candle, he wondered how did the monster trust him enough to leave him there, alone. He could easily light the bed sheets on fire, and then put it around himself, successfully burning to death. But then again, when he got closer to the candle, thinking about it, he ended up moving away, not brave enough to do it. It sounded like way too much pain. Besides, he knew the monster knew how to heal him - He even remembered walking to his strange room, finding all sorts of tools bathed in blood that looked like they belonged in a hospital.

That monster. He _knew_ James knew all this! He was constantly messing with his head!

Groaning, the man decided to leave the topic. He wasn't in the mood for thinking, much less something like that. He closed his eyes, tired, but opened them suddenly, slapping his cheeks softly.

_You can't sleep now!_ He thought over and over again, shaking his head until he felt dizzy. This wasn't working out well. Sighing, he looked at the door he had tried to open, and tilted his head. Yes, that could keep him entertained… And who knew, maybe it was a chance of freedom. James jumped off the tall bed, and was about to take a step when the door opened, leaving him frozen in his place. It was unbelievable. Every single time he tried something, he got caught.

"Where were you going?" The monster asked, and James was relieved at the soft tone in his voice. At least he wasn't angry at him.

"If I stay in bed, I'll fall asleep." He said, simply, and didn't need more than just a glance of the helmet in his direction to understand he should go back. He sat obediently on the bed; if he was on the creature's good side, he wouldn't ruin it.

"I brought you something."

James shivered. The strange voice tone was back, and it seemed serious. Right then he noticed Pyramid Head was carrying a rather big bag, which he left on top of the table. Trembling, he didn't want to know what was inside of it.

"Company." The Executioner added, and suddenly he was right by James' side, gripping the collar of his shirt. The blonde gasped, eyes wide, placing his hands on Pyramid Head's arms by instinct. "This is a privilege, James. Do not waste it."

"W-What is it?" He asked, and the monster let go of him, moving next to the table. The man fixed his clothes, panting lightly at the unexpected movement. Whatever was in the bag, it had to be serious. Maybe it was Laura? He certainly hoped not.

A small 'squeak' distracted him, then, and unconsciously backing up near the other edge of the bed, James watched as Pyramid Head lifted the bag and a pile of clothes fell on the table, forming a rather big bulge. Before he could ask why did he need so many clothes, the bulge started moving and shaking until a small, baby-like shadowy figure appeared under them. It was almost like a little ghost, with no face, just a black silhouette that seemed to disappear near the light. It looked around, little arms going up to his face in confusion, and then faced James, tilting his head to the side.

"Peep."

"What…? What is it?" The blonde dared to move closer, and the little shadow moved backwards, tripping with the clothes and falling on his back.

"I found him not long ago." Pyramid Head helped the little monster up, and grabbed him carefully, lifting him with both hands. James frowned, imagining he looked like that when the monster lifted him, too. "It's a larval stalker. He somehow ended up here." Even though the blonde made the evident gesture he didn't want it, the tall creature left the smaller one on the bed, next to him. "I call him Peep."

"Peep?"

"Peep!" The larval stalker chimed in, moved closer to James, who hesitated before gently patting him on the head.

"So the punisher, the Executioner himself, decided to keep a weak little monster as a pet?" He asked, hoping to press the red demon's nerves a bit. He was still trying to find a weakness, or some sort of change on his attitude.

"He was very lucky a bigger monster came by when I was about to kill him."

"You just kept him because he's cute and useless."

Maybe an awkward silence wasn't was he was looking for, but in the end, it was all distracting him from sleeping, at least. James moved to sit on the bed, his back to the headboard, and the little stalker moved to sit on his lap, or lie, actually. He wasn't exactly good at moving, and it was constantly falling and slipping.

"He is not the first useless being I take care of." The monster said, interrupting the harmonious silence with his low voice. "The clothes there are for tomorrow. If something happens to him, it'll happen to you." He added, pointing at the small creature with a gloved finger. The man nodded, and waited until Pyramid Head left to let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Maybe I should kill you, then." He whispered, looking at the little monster's head. He just let out a small 'squeak', his head facing James, paying attention to him. The man sighed and looked to the side, no, he _wasn't_ going to find that strange creature adorable. It was just another distraction.

As he thought about it, spending time throwing a ball he made of the pair of socks in the table and watching the larval stalker jump down the bed, run clumsily towards it and carry it back, James finally admitted that he was thankful for said distraction. Time passed by quickly, and he even let himself laugh a little when the small creature did all he could to reach the ball from on top of the chair. In the end, Pyramid Head had given him something to make the night enjoyable, instead of falling asleep and going back to his nightmares. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder, _why_? Why would the monster want to help him? He was there to punish him, and instead, he offered an option to avoid said punishment.

Deep in his thoughts, he didn't even feel the tugs at his shirt, the stalker reminding him of their game. He just came to one conclusion, it was suspicious. And he couldn't trust the monster. Perhaps he wanted to make him believe everything was alright, and then strike when he less expected?

"Peep!"

"What do you think about him?" James asked out loud, now paying attention to the creature. The creature, Peep, stopped tugging and stood straight, tilting his head. "…You understand, don't you?" The blonde added, beginning to find the situation ridiculous. Still, Peep nodded, making James blink a few times before asking again. "So, what do you think about him? Do you trust him?"

Again, the small figure nodded, letting out a small squeak. James nodded too, still staring at him, and though for a minute before asking again.

"Has he hurt you?"

And the obvious answer was Peep shaking his head, this time without making any noise. He seemed serious, or at least that was what his body language said. James was satisfied with this, at least that showed that the monster could avoid being violent. He still remembered when he first saw him from close, doing whatever he was doing to those mannequins in the kitchen. He shivered, and unconsciously wrapping a hand around the larval stalker, bringing him closer. He knew very well what was happening that time, in that apartment.

"Peep!" The stalker looked up, and pointed at the door, his legs wiggling as he supported himself on James' lap. The man raised an eyebrow, and looked at the door to see Pyramid Head walking in, apron bloodier than ever. It made him tremble, slightly biting his lip - No matter how much he tried not to look, he couldn't help but notice the bright red blood, freshly dripping to the floor.

"Get up." The monster ordered, and James did as he was told, quickly jumping off the bed. The larval stalker jumped down too, imitating the blonde's movements. "You. Go back to your room." Pyramid Head pointed at the small creature, who nodded in return and ran to the door, closing it slightly before leaving. "You didn't hurt him."

"N-No. He helped me stay awake." James said, cursing at himself for letting his voice tremble. If he was scared, he didn't need to show it. "I…" He started, but pushed the thought away before he could continue.

"Yes?" Pyramid Head walked closer to him, and the man gave one step back, the bed stopping him from moving further.

"I guess… I wanted to thank you." He said, green eyes watching any slight movement the monster made, in case he had to jump over the bed and run for his life. Still, the Executioner didn't move nor flinch, he simply walked away to the door James had tried to open before, and with a quick pull, he ripped the rest of the cover and opened it. "Y-You… Is that the exit…?"

"No." Pyramid Head entered through the door, and made a motion for James to follow him. The blonde eyed the slightly open door on the other side of the room, but fought against that chance - If Pyramid Head left it open, it was because he was sure he couldn't escape. Instead, he followed the monster and entered a slightly different room. The walls and floor were covered with old, broken ceramic; there was what looked like a shower in a corner, a toilet, a sink, and an old shelf with closed doors.

"A… bathroom?" James asked, looking around. The place was half the size of his room, a firm steel door for the exit, he supposed. "Why wasn't I allowed to come here?" He added, relieved that he had place for his needs. He hadn't drunk or eaten anything, but he still needed it.

"This has everything a bathroom should have. And that includes things that could harm you." While replying, Pyramid Head walked to the shelf, and opened the rusty doors so James could see. There were razors, a few towels, a toothbrush… The sight made him shiver. Just how long did the monster plan to keep him here? "Wherever you need to, tell me to bring you here."

"So… You'll be watching me?" The blonde looked at the helmet with disgust, still not sure of where to look to make 'eye' contact. The mental images weren't pleasant at all.

"Yes."

It wasn't like complaining would help, so James just shrugged and took the things he needed from the shelf, and walked to the sink. As he brushed his teeth, he couldn't stop staring at his reflection in the small mirror on the wall. He looked tired, dirty, and his hair was a complete mess of dirt and sand. The bags under his eyes didn't help either, and he was even paler than the usual. After spitting into the sink, he looked back to the mirror, only to find a crimson helmet behind him.

"D-Don't do that." He turned around, and watched as Pyramid Head grabbed his hand, taking off the bandages. To his surprise, his hand had healed perfectly, a scar being the only remain of the cut.

"Take a shower. And hurry up."

The words 'hurry up' weren't heard, as James was still stuck processing the 'take a shower' part. He eyed the corner of what was supposed to be the shower, without any curtains, not even a wall to cover himself with. And he absolutely didn't like the sound of being naked with Pyramid Head in the same room.

"If you don't do it, I will do it myself, James."

"I… I-I wouldn't let you."

"You don't have to be conscious."

James closed his eyes tightly, and pulled of his shirt, throwing it to the floor. The monster was convincing enough, standing far near both doors. Facing the wall, his back to the creature, he took off his undershirt and his jeans, hesitating before pulling down his underwear. Walking near the shower, he turned on the water and let it fall on him, sighing. At least it was hot, clean water.

As he showered, he let his mind wander back to nice memories, back when he was at home. Showering in the mornings, brushing his teeth, doing the everyday routine to go to work, and then come back to spend what was left of the day watching TV, a movie, or drinking. Looking back to it, he hadn't visited Mary for a long period of time, and the more he thought about it, the more he forced himself to regret it. It was valuable time with his dear wife, time that he missed now more than anything. He imagined spending all those days by her side, both of them talking, or simply in silence, like when they were in Silent Hill, staring at the lake and holding hands. Words weren't necessary back then. Why didn't he take all those chances? He knew she was going to die, why not spend the last days with her? Sighing heavily, he rested his head against the wall, simply letting the water run down his body. He perfectly knew why. It was like he was even afraid of his wife back then, with her mood swings, her shouting and screaming, and the face that deformed everyday more. He wasn't brave enough to stand it, not every day, not even once a week, not once a month.

It was like if Mary had turned into a monster.

The ugly skin, the falling hair, the daily struggle against the nurses that wanted to check her, the constant screaming to just leave her alone because she was going to die anyway. She could barely stand on her feet, legs twitching, head heavy, eyes bloodshot and ripped skin…

"James."

He shook violently, turning after feeling the cold touch on his shoulder. His back pressed against the wall, James stared with wide eyes at Pyramid Head, at the helmet filling with water that the creature shook off when it bothered him.

"W-What? What happened?" He asked, images still vivid behind his eyes. The Mary from his nightmares walking slowly towards him.

"You fell asleep." The creature said, walking away from the water after shaking it off his helmet one last time. He turned off the water, and grabbed James' wrist, pulling him back to the room. The blonde followed him, trembling with the cold that suddenly hit his body, reminding him of his state. He broke free of the monster's grasp and quickly walked towards the clean clothes on the table, putting them on as fast as he could.

"Peep." The larval stalker greeted him from the bed, next to a small bag. He took out a package from it, unfolding it to show what looked like a sandwich. James looked at him, and sat on the bed as he put on his shoes.

"You made me breakfast?" He asked the red demon, and the stalker nodded, while Pyramid Head shook his helmet.

"_He_ did."

James raised an eyebrow as he looked at Peep, who was shaking his head at him, pointing at the Executioner. Well, it didn't matter who made it. It wasn't poisoned -since the monster didn't want him to die- and he was happy enough with that.

"Follow me, James. If I see you try anything, you will regret it." The monster warned, and grabbed James by the waist, the blonde letting out a surprise yelp as the creature let him rest on his shoulder.

"I can walk, you know."

"Not now."

As they left the room, James lifted his head, paying attention to the surroundings. They exited to a long hallway that ended in a door not far from his room's door. They walked down the corridor, Peep following them and carrying James' breakfast. The blonde smiled lightly at this, before focusing again on the strange place. He didn't remember visiting it before, it didn't look like the apartments, or the hospital, or the Historical Society. They went up the stairs, James helping the little creature up as he tripped in some of the steps, and finally reached a door Pyramid Head opened with a hard push.

For a second, James saw the stairs they went up illuminated with a white light, showing oxidized metal steps and ripped blood-red wallpaper, revealing the cracked walls underneath. It was like a hellish factory underground. As they walked away, James looked up the huge building, trying to find a sign or a name, but found nothing. It was a building like any other.

Near the lake, the forest ended abruptly, a small beach the waves had formed being the only division between the water and the trees. Carefully making her way around the branches that threatened to hurt her, a woman looked at Toluca Lake, a small, sad smile forming on her lips. The lake was one of the few things that still made her happy. She loved how the fresh air caressed her hair, lifting it slightly. Looking around, she walked closer to the water, sitting in the small beach. She let the cold water reach her legs; it didn't matter if it soaked her clothes. It all made her feel better.

"Isn't it a bit too cold?" A voice distracted her from her trance, black hair moving quickly as she spun to look at a little girl next a tree, a few leaves and branches entangled with her hair.

"W-Who…? Uh… Who are you?" The woman asked, and the girl walked closer to her, frowning.

"I'm Laura. You?"

"Uhh…" The woman stood there, staring at her, still deep in her thoughts. She hadn't seen the little girl before, what was she doing here in Silent Hill? She just hoped the town didn't harm her, or hadn't called to her.

"I asked you a question!" Laura tugged lightly at the woman's hair, pouting.

"O-Oh! I… I'm sorry, my… My name is Angela." She said, taken aback by the child's strong personality.

"Angela. I followed you here." Laura sat by her side, undoing her ponytail to pull off the leaves and branches. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I like the lake." She said, and frowned slightly when the girl let out a laugh.

"What are you doing here in Silent Hill, silly?"

"O-Oh, I…" Angela stuttered, and then looked away, bringing her knees to her chest. "Nothing."

"You suck at lying." Laura rolled her eyes, still busy cleaning her hair. Still, when she got no answer after a while, she turned over to look at Angela, grabbing her shoulder. "Hellooo? Anybody home?"

"I don't… I, I don't feel like talking."

"Well, I do!" Laura pushed the hair away from the woman's face, making her move away slightly. "If you aren't doing anything here, wanna help me out?"

"…Help you?" This time Angela turned to look at her, and Laura nodded, blushing lightly.

"It's not that I _need_ help! I can do it on my own! …But, still, I'd like it."

"Do what?" She asked, and Laura looked down, drawing something in the sand with one of the branches. Angela frowned lightly, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"I want my best friend back." Laura said, and before Angela could ask, the girl hugged her and buried her face on her chest, gripping her sweater. "I really want her back… And I know I can, but I don't know what to do…"

"Where… is she?" Angela patted her back, throwing away the few leaves still mangled in the long blond hair.

"D-Dead."

Angela didn't say anything, shocked at first, but then focusing on hugging the girl, caressing her back soothingly. She didn't need to say more - she knew the feeling, looking for someone who's simply not there, right when you most need them. She opened her mouth to say something, but the silence was interrupted first by the sound of leaves and footsteps coming near them. Looking up, he saw a familiar, tall blond man fighting his way out of the thick forest, a few scratches on his face.

"…Y-You…?"

"H-Him!" Laura quickly pulled away from Angela, standing up in front of James, as if that would make her look taller than the man. "I told you to go away, James! I told you!"

"Could you _please_ listen to me, Laura?" James said, trying to remain calm. For some reason, every time he saw the little girl he felt his pulse racing, like back when he was still with Mary and they had those endless fights. "Just give me chance, please."

"No!" The girl tried pushing him, barely making him move. "Go away! Murderer!"

"Angela, could you give me a hand here?" The blonde ran a hand through his hair, blinking a few times when he saw Laura back away quickly as soon as he raised his hand.

"Why…? What did he do?" Angela asked, standing up and moving towards Laura, arms wrapping around the little girl in a protective way. James began speaking, but Laura cut him off with a yell.

"Shut up! He… H-He was the one that killed her, Angela. It's all his fault! And he won't leave me alone!" The girl got closer to her, gripping her hands slightly. Angela frowned, looking up at James with a strange glint in her eyes. Upon noticing this, the man raised his hands, shaking his head.

"I don't want to hurt her." He said, knowing the look on Angela's face. The woman moved to stand in front of Laura, hiding the girl behind her legs.

"Was that her? Your beloved wife?" She asked, raising her voice. James opened his mouth, but said nothing. Words where stuck on his throat, and he felt like they were choking him. "Leave her alone, James."

"I… I just need to speak with her."

"About what?" Angela said, a strange smile forming on her lips, sarcasm evident on her voice.

"Just… Just leave the town. Go with her, if you want, but… _please_. This place is dangerous enough for us, and you know it, Angela!" He explained, without noticing he was almost shouting now. "Get her away from here, and leave things how they are!"

"I want Mary back, James! You didn't care about her, but I do!" Laura stood between the two now, even though Angela held her hand firmly so she didn't get any more closer to James.

"I--…I did care about her, Laura! Just let me--"

"I know how to get her back, and I will! You knew how, you had that book, and you didn't even try it!

"Cut it out, Laura! You _can't_ bring her back, Mary's DEAD!"

Before actually opening his eyes and seeing where his hand was flying to, a knee came up to his stomach, hitting him hard, eyes wide with the realization of pain. James doubled up, coughing, and Angela took the chance to push him to the sand and land a hard kick on his back, making him scream this time.

"D-Don't touch her!" She shouted, and kicked him one more time before firmly grabbing Laura's hand again, running back into the forest. "A-And don't follow us!"

"Hey! Teach me how to do that!" Laura said, her voice fading away slowly as they ran away. Soon the only sounds were the ones made by the lake's waves, and the coughing from James, who slowly sat up.

Someone up there definitely hated him with a passion.

He brushed his hair away from his face, standing up painfully. He should've known Angela would snap, especially if he tried to do something about Laura…

_Do something._ He thought, going back to that moment where he could swear he had raised his hand, and in a split second, he saw the image of Laura covering herself with her arms. Oh, no. He hadn't. It was probably just his imagination; he couldn't hit a little girl, _never_.

Though, the anger that came back to him wherever he thought about the little girl didn't help. It got his pulse racing again, and he punched a tree hard, hurting his hand on the process. He didn't feel it, though; his mind was focused on the stupid little girl, her stupid ideas, the stupid book…

Wait, a book?

"What book?" The deep voice making him jump, James turned around to see Pyramid Head standing behind him, spear tightly held on his hand. The blonde shook his head, seriously beginning to believe that the monster could simply appear out of nowhere. "What book, James?" The monster insisted, grabbing James' injured hand and clutching it. The man moaned lightly in pain, _now_ it was starting to hurt.

"I-I don't know... Laura said something about a book." He said, and the creature stopped clutching him, but still held his hand.

"Tell me what she said."

"She said I had it but didn't use it. That's it." James still tried to pull away, but Pyramid Head wasn't paying attention to this. His helmet moved slightly, and his fingers found their way between James', making him stop his struggle, staring at their hands with a soft blush on his cheeks. "Why… W-Why are you…?"

"Do you remember what book was it, James?" The Executioner asked, and James looked away, running his free hand through his hair.

"I picked up many things. I can't really remember." He looked back at the monster again, but got no response. Pyramid Head was either strange as the usual, or deep in thought. James tried to pull his hand again, but the iron grip wouldn't let him. "Can you… let go?"

"Can you ask her more about it?"

"I… I just got kicked in the floor, twice."

"By a little girl?"

"N-No. It was Angela." James frowned, offended but the comment, but blushed more nonetheless. It was still a humiliating situation.

"The woman?"

"Uh… Yes?" The man tilted his head, not sure of what the monster meant. He saw him shake his helmet, and he finally let go of James' hand, grabbing him by the waist instead, lifting him into his arms. The blonde whined lightly, the pain on his stomach coming back. At least the monster wasn't carrying him on his shoulder; it would've been more painful. Still, he was quite surprised by the comment - maybe Pyramid Head knew Angela? He wondered if she could see him too, and if she had to encounter him the same way he had. It made a strange sensation build up in his stomach, he wasn't sure of what it was, but assumed it was just physical pain.

"We are going back, then. You will receive your punishment." James looked up then, shivering after hearing this. He was about to ask what would be the punishment, but as an answer he got a thick tree branch to the face, as they made their way through the forest. The monster held his arms so he couldn't cover his face, and James had to cope with the scratches all the way back, since the monster decided to go through the forest instead of shortening their way to the streets.

Back in the strange place he called a factory; James stared lazily at the small drops of blood dripping down his arm to the floor, leaving a small trail behind them. His whole body ached, and he could swear Pyramid Head had especially walked through a huge bush full of thorns on its branches. After recognizing the few doors he had seen the first time, James wiped a drop of blood that came down his brow only to shiver in pain, and looked up at his room's door. The monster didn't stop there, and he was about to ask why, but stood silent as the Executioner opened the last door in the hallway, stepping into a dark room and closing the door behind him.

The lights turned on suddenly, and James widened his eyes as he looked around: A huge room, with something like a medical table in the middle, shelves and tables crammed with strange tools near it. The only lamp was directly on top of said table, making the metallic surface turn a blinding white color. Narrowing his eyes, the blonde found the words stuck on his throat again as Pyramid Head left him lying on the table, and ripped off his shirt with a quick pull.

"W-What are you…!" James words were cut short as the monster did the same with his pants, and then pushed him into a lying position on the table, placing his arms on both sides, even though James insisted on covering himself.

"Stay still." The monster held one wrist with one hand, and James watched the monster's other hand moved under the table. A soft 'click' was heard, and a metallic shackle came out of the surface and wrapped around his wrist, holding it in place. Starting to panic, he demanded another explanation as the monster moved and did the same to his other wrist, and then to his ankles.

"W-What…! W-What is this place?" He screamed, Pyramid Head now holding his head, a shackle now wrapping around his head, keeping him in place. James looked up at the cold metal against his forehead, trying to look at the red demon.

"An old factory. It had multiple purposes in the past." The monster said, moving near a table, taking off his gloves and changing them for a pair of clean ones. James struggled in the table, trying to break free. The noises of metallic objects and such weren't helping either, as he couldn't turn his head and look at what was happening.

"W-What are you going to do?" He asked, kicking himself mentally for doing so. He didn't want to know, yet curiosity was killing him.

"Heal you." Pyramid Head appeared on his small line of vision then, and James narrowed his eyes. If it wasn't because of the strong light on top of them, he would be able to perfectly see under his helmet. Still, his eyes widened quickly as a gloved hand with a pair of tweezers holding a small cotton ball got closer and closer to his face.

"D-Don't…!"

But he did. It was the same liquid the monster had used on his hand; it even seemed stronger this time, making his skin burn. He clenched his teeth, closing his eyes while he felt the cotton ball on his forehead.

"It is so you heal, James."

"I-It… It burns…!"

"I am simply cleaning the wound. Now I'll heal it…"

The scream was heard through the entire hallway, making the larval stalker waiting near the door jump on his place, letting out a small noise in fear. As if it was attracted by the screaming, a shadow moved closer to the door, making his way through the walls, like a quick, slimy shadow. Noticing it, the stalker pressed against the wall, trying to hide himself from the shadow that swiftly opened the door just a bit and entered the room, door closing behind it.

"S-Stop it… Stop it…!" Back in the table, James had stopped his struggle, using his energy to remain quiet as the monster now used a bigger cotton ball to clean the wounds on his chest. The man shook as he remembered how the monster had to even pull him away from the trees that seemed alive, wrapping their branches around them.

"Do not fail next time." Pyramid Head said, but stopped his work, turning towards the door. James blinked, trying his best to catch a glimpse of whatever was happening, but saw nothing more than the door bathed in the shadows.

"Called me?"

A third voice was heard from above, and James looked at the ceiling, nearly screaming when he found a deformed, fleshy head looking at him, its body hanging from the ceiling. A smile formed in the feature-less face, pointy teeth showing, and a hand came down to him, pushing its finger into one of his wounds.

"Want me to help?"

"No." The strong voice tone used by Pyramid Head almost covered James' piercing scream, and the creature from above pulled his hand away, chuckling lightly.

"Why did you call me, then?"

"I need information. About a book."

While the two monsters talked, James recovered from the pain, staring at the strange 'thing' on top of them. His legs were merged into the ceiling, shadows around it, and it was wearing an apron similar to Pyramid Head's. There was a difference in their bodies, though. The new being had a strange mark on his shoulder, something that looked like a circle with some writings inside of it. Before he could ask who the newcomer was, having never seen this monster before, James noticed both creatures were looked at him, or better said, facing him.

"Not with the human hearing." The hanging being said, falling and landing on his feet easily. Pyramid Head was still facing James, and for a minute seemed to hesitate before replying.

"Fine."

And seeing a fist raising, in a split second, everything turned black for James.

**End of Chapter 3.**

Sorry for taking so long, but usully for writing this I need at least a whole afternoon, and lately because of tests I couldn't write anything. Besides, this story is kinda special, and I need to really be into it so it comes out like it has to.

I said it had a plot, and it's just starting. At least next chapters will be faster because stuff actually starts happening, heh. And yes, you'll probably guess who's the new character here!

I hope you all enjoyed it, as always, I worked hard on it! Please review and let me know if there are some mistakes, if you have any comments, and such! ~


	4. Chapter 4: Trust

**Dreams, Lies, and Faceless Masks**

_-_Chapter VI: Trust_-_

"You look so peaceful…"

Giggling woke him up, along with a warm touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly, his face hurt - of course. After the torture he had just been through, he wasn't exactly expecting to wake up unharmed. James raised a hand, slowly, and touched his face, feeling a pair of scars, reminding him of his punishment. He didn't deserve that, did he? It was all becoming too much. There was a long cut down his left cheek, his nose was unharmed, luckily, and his right cheek was… it was…

Covered in soft, delicate fingers.

"Oh… I'm sorry if I woke you up, honey. Keep sleeping, if you want…"

He certainly wouldn't, now.

"M-Mary?" James whispered, almost afraid to ask, and the hand moved to cup his face and make him turn around, looking at the woman laying on the grass, her hair softly moving with the breeze.

"James." She said, smiling. The man blinked a few times, still analyzing the person by his side. It was _her_, again. But not the Mary he remembered from his nightmares, it was the Mary he saw on the early years of his marriage. The Mary he loved so much. "Well, you're fully awake now." She laughed softly again, and sat up, looking down at her husband. "This place is relaxing, isn't it?"

"It is…" He wasn't really sure of what was Mary talking about, because of every word she said, he could only hear her voice, the tone, the feeling… He missed it, and he missed it badly. Still, how was he here with her in the first place? Or why?

Sitting up, he took a look around them - They were laying in a field, forest starting a bit far behind them, and the lake visible further down the small hill. He didn't remember that place, but it looked a lot like Toluca Lake, so he supposed they were in Silent Hill, yet again. Like the dream he had where he was in the hospital, when he jumped down the…

"Mary?" He asked, and the woman looked at him, moving closer to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Yes, honey?"

"Where…?" James didn't know where to start. What was he supposed to ask, anyway? _Is this a dream?_ As always, it felt too real to be a dream. Everything seemed right, besides. It was a coherent situation, just the two of them staring at the sky and the lake. The only thing that bothered him was that he didn't really remember the place they were in. "What happened?" He asked, finally, hoping his wife could understand him. She always did, back when they shared so many moments together.

"I thought some fresh air would be nice for you." Mary started, her voice low and soft. James rested his head on top of Mary's, listening to her. "After the hospital, you know… Relaxing always helps."

"The hospital?"

"You had an ugly accident, honey. But it's okay now. I'm with you." She looked up at him, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. James didn't kiss her back, too stunned by her words. "I know you're afraid, sweetie… But it'll be alright. Let's enjoy the moment, please?" She tried kissing him again, arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer. This time James did kiss her back, closing his eyes.

Maybe it was alright?

Last time, he was in bed. Waking up in pain while a nurse and Mary watched over him. But that wasn't real - he had woken up to face reality just as he started enjoying the moment! It was all a cruel nightmare!

Then why was he laying in the grass, his Mary wrapped in his arms, both kissing passionately?

Just how he dreamed?

How he most wanted it?

He still had the scratches on his face. The remains of the branches, and the remains of punishment for failing. He did remember seeing Angela, and Laura, and that monster… He remembered being hurt in a table. He remembered the stinging feeling all over his body.

But he felt Mary's caresses, too…

"I know you're still scared, honey… But you're alright now."

He was. She was right, and she was _there_.

"We're out of the hospital now. Can we be together now, please?"

James stared down at Mary, at her sincere eyes. Yes, they could. They had to be together now. Enjoy their vacations like they should, go back home, and then come back for more vacations, who knew. Life was amazing that way.

"Please, James…"

He had a few flashes of a blurry night at the hotel, and the Venus Tears Bar. Maybe he was a little bit drunk? Mary saying something about not going so fast up the stairs? And then… And then she was sitting by his side, caressing his head - He fell.

"Let's just be together. Please."

He fell down the stairs. Hurt his head. His face, probably. Was he carrying a bottle back to the hotel room? Probably was. As Mary caressed his face, he felt the cuts on his face again - Glass. A broken bottle. Spending the rest of the night back at their room instead of the bar had sounded nice. He probably didn't realize he wouldn't even be able to go up the stairs. It had been a fun night, nonetheless. He had just fell down the stairs. His back still hurt a bit, too. He always complained about how long the staircase was in the hotel.

"Yes, honey… Yes…"

Realization was such a beautiful thing.

"Mary, I…" James finally spoke up, getting his wife's attention. He felt lost in that sea before him as he looked into her eyes. Into her endless blue eyes…

_Wake up._

Wind hit him like a hurricane, forcing him away from his wife, face against the grass. His whole body trembling, James tried to get up, crawling back near Mary and reaching out for her hand, which she held tightly. Another hit came, and he could feel now both hands grabbing his arm, holding him, trying to keep him close. A stronger hit came, this time sending him far away from her.

Last thing he saw was his arm with red, long scratches on it.

Last thing he heard was a painful scream, from Mary.

"Maybe you broke him?" The distorted voice wasn't enough to hide the sarcasm, and the wide, devil-like grin wasn't helping either. "Try again."

"No." Both voices contrasted, this one now echoing through the room. "He's fine."

"Too bad." Black boots moved across the room, and the figure wearing them leaned against the wall, almost merging with it in a pool of shadows. "I had my hopes."

"The name, Valtiel." The strong voice echoed again, and the monster against the wall shivered even though he was used to the chills that went up and down his spine when the other creature talked.

"The book of Lost Memories." Said creature, Valtiel, moved away from the wall, his head twitching from time to time. He walked closer to the other monster, the one in the crimson helmet, and watched the object of Pyramid Head's attention. The shaking, sweaty human on the bed,

"M-M…M-Ma… Ah…!"

"Seems he can't snap out of it." Valtiel said then, and to his delight, Pyramid Head let out a low growl and raised his hand, giving James a hard slap on his cheek, almost knocking him off the bed.

"A-AH!"

"He's back." Valtiel's smile came back, and he stepped away from the bed, towards the door. "Just one book won't do anything. But it still means the girl's one step ahead of you." The monster let out a strange laugh, like cackling, and then exited the room, his laugh echoing through the hallway and stopping once the door was closed.

"W-Where… Who…?"

"Why couldn't you wake up, James?" Pyramid Head placed his hand on James' shoulder, holding him down. The blonde wouldn't stop shaking, looking from side to side repeatedly, avoiding to gaze at the monster standing right next to him.

"S-She… Oh, God."

James' body fell limp, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The monster apparently understood and let go of him, letting him rest on the bed, as his breathing calmed. He stayed like that for a few minutes, breathing heavily, and his eyes frozen. He wasn't looking at anything, after all. He was just thinking, trying to think back and feel again what he had just experienced.

He was dead.

His mind was blocked at some point - Like when you try to think, what would it be like to be dead? First darkness, then no sounds, no smells, then no thoughts… No. You can't go further than that.

But he _did_.

Right after the dream. After getting hit numerous times, and after Mary screamed and his vision was consumed by darkness… It all _ended_, there was nothing. He wasn't unconscious, he was… He was away. Just like he felt after he jumped off the hospital. Or how he felt after letting go of the steering wheel, hiding his face in brown, dull hair.

"Was it a nightmare?"

He looked to his side, barely turning his head at all - He wasn't shaking anymore because he couldn't even feel his body. The red demon was there, blood-stained apron and everything. He hadn't really noticed his presence before.

"Answer, James." The monster insisted, his gloved hand grabbing at James' jaw, forcing him to look at him directly. "Was it a nightmare?"

Was it?

Mary had said he was sleeping. Before, she had said he needed to rest, all because he had an accident. And it had all felt so real… What if… What if reality was with Mary? What if he was actually sleeping now, having a horrible nightmare because of the accident? Maybe the world wasn't such a nightmare, maybe it was all on his head? After all… So much pain, so much torment… He didn't deserve all that, did he?

"James."

For some reason, the gloved hand was now touching his cheek, rubbing the long scar under his eye. He reminded himself not to go up stairs carrying a bottle next time. He had worried Mary.

"James."

It was probably that. Just a dream.

"Snap out of it already!"

But you aren't supposed to feel strong pain in a dream.

After the fist collided with his face, the other fist against his stomach, he was sent flying off the bed, landing with his back to the floor. He barely sat up, and saw the monster walking towards him, wiping his now bloody glove on his apron.

"G-Go away!" He screamed, covering his face with his hands. Now his nose was bleeding, amazing. After the only thing left untouched from the torture was his…

Wait…

Torture.

"This blood is yours, James." Pyramid Head kneeled by his side, and grabbed his hair with one strong hand, pulling him towards him, making him wipe his bloodied face on his apron. James struggled a bit, grabbing the creature's arms to pull away, but he found no strength to do so. Instead, he pulled away and fixed his stare on the demon's chest, on the blood marks, some dry, and the other fresh.

"M-Mine…?"

"Remember."

Trees.

Bushes, thorns, blood, the cold surface of a metallic table…

"N-No!" James pulled away completely, but couldn't escape, for the creature held him tightly by his arms. "N-No, y-you didn't… I didn't… I fell…!"

"Look at your arms."

Trembling again, James lowered his gaze to see his arm. A few scratches here and there, but no fresh wounds. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what the creature meant, until it hit him. He saw long, blood-red lines before, on his forearm, all the way down to his wrist. Mary had held him, held him so hard she scratched him when the wind had pulled him away from her.

But they weren't there.

"B-But…"

"Tell me which one is the dream."

Silence fell in the room, only interrupted by James' heavy breathing. The blonde looked at the creature again, and sighed heavily. It _was_ his blood. His nose hurt like hell, his back too, and the now softer but still present stinging feeling the 'healing' the monster gave him left was still there. And in dreams, you can't feel. You only think you feel.

Defeated, James let out another sigh and fell against Pyramid Head, his head against his chest. He was tired of all this, already. He was tired of trying, of punishment… And strangely, out of all things, the worst were the dreams. The worst torture was having to see Mary, having his hopes raised, having his heart beating once again just to wake up and see all those hopes shattered on the floor. Just what was he doing to deserve all this?

"W-Why did you do that?" He whispered, and under his forehead, he felt the monster's body moving for the first time, lightly. It was almost like resting against a statue, sharp edges included.

"I did not."

"What? But…" James blinked a few times, and pulled away slightly. Something hit the back of his head, keeping him in place. He shivered, and dared to glance back, gasping slightly upon realizing he was actually _under_ the creature's helmet. By instinct, he wanted to look up when talking to him, but he fixed his head in place, petrified. He wasn't that keen on finding out what was there right now. "You give me nightmares." He said, his voice sounding a bit dry.

"Not those."

…

So it was his fault?

That didn't make sense. He knew he couldn't trust the monster, that he was up to no good. Then why was he pretty much resting against him? Weakness, yes. His limbs had never felt so heavy in his entire life. Drained from all energy sounded like a understatement; he didn't want to think anymore, he didn't want to process it all. Whatever was going on with his head was too much right now. He wanted to erase all those dreams and rest, just rest for a minute.

"You are too weak, James." The monster moved again, this time standing up, making James almost fall to the floor. He couldn't help but look up as the monster stood, a shiver running down his spine as he saw something - Thanks to the soft light from the candle. A jaw, a human jaw. Pale, almost gray, just like the monster's arms.

"I…" James stuttered, still dazed at his discovery. Maybe it was a human face, and that was why the monster was weak in there? Because he was just like a human, with a brain, eyes, nose, and mouth?

"Do not fall for those illusions again." Pyramid Head turned away from him, and walked over to the door that led to the bathroom, opening it with a strong pull. "Get up."

He hadn't really processed all the monster had told him, but James did as he was told, deep in his thoughts. As he walked to the bathroom, he repeated a certain word on his head: illusions. So the creature _wasn't_ the one making him have those beautiful dreams that ended hurting him more than the nightmares. Then what or who was it? Himself? Why would he cause so much pain to himself?

Perhaps he wanted Mary so bad, he missed her and the time they shared so badly, he was constantly escaping, in his dreams, to what he most wanted. It could happen, and he knew it perfectly well - one's mind can do incredible things just to make yourself feel better, feel safe. He knew it from experience. Sighing, he decided not to think about it - He needed to rest for a while, maybe not sleeping, but calming down. He was still worried about the worst part of the dream, when he felt everything ended. He did felt dead, no matter how strange it sounded.

"Take a shower." Pyramid Head ordered, standing near the door, and James didn't feel like fighting against it this time. He took off his clothes, always facing the wall, and turned on the water. Soon the water warmed, and he gladly stood under it, letting it wash away the dried blood. He checked the multiple scars on his body, thankful that they didn't hurt that much anymore - It had been a tough healing, but it did pay off. He thought, for a second, that he should be thankful to the creature for healing him, but then he repeated to himself that Pyramid Head was there because it was something like his job. He wasn't doing it because he liked it.

"Do I have to try again?" James asked, turning around to look at the creature, who was standing a bit closer to him now. He was getting used to its sudden movements, but it still surprised him.

"You will rest for today."

"In the room?" The blonde sighed, resting his forehead against the wall. The relaxing moment was going back to tense like this. He didn't want to go back to lay on a bed, trying not to fall asleep. It was getting every time harder.

"You can sleep. Without nightmares."

James looked up, not sure if what he heard was true or he made it up, and found the monster this time even closer, water splashing lightly on its helmet.

"I-I… can?" He asked, feeling slightly cornered. Pyramid Head was, if not that much taller than him, well… big. The helmet and muscles made him look wider, and more menacing.

"I want something in return."

No matter how many times he kicked himself mentally for even _thinking_ it, James couldn't stop his reaction: backing up against the wall, turning around to look at the monster. He didn't want to admit it, but he was truly scared now - All memories of _why_ he felt awkward when the monster was this close to him came back. Yes, he knew perfectly well why he didn't want to shower with him watching at first.

"What?" James asked, a bit too sudden. He hoped his nervousness wouldn't show. Still, in the brief moment of silence that followed his question, he noticed his legs were trembling, and that his hands were pressed against the wall by his sides rather pathetically. He stood up straight, pushing away all traumatizing thoughts, and asked again. "What do you want?"

"I want you to stay out of those illusions." Pyramid Head said, and raised a hand, making James flinch lightly before the monster grabbed him by the hair, pulling him down and closer to him, a bit under his helmet. "Heard me?"

"Y-Yes." James was trembling lightly now, looking up under the monster's helmet. He couldn't see anything now, just darkness, but he still remembered the outlines of a still human jaw hiding between the shadows. He gritted his teeth lightly, trying to fight his nervousness - the creature probably _knew_ he was staring before, and that's why he was talking like this to him.

"And stop looking for things you _don't_ want to find, James." This time the monster pulled him away, letting him rest against the wall again. The blonde frowned, and gripped Pyramid Head's arms as soon as he let go of his hair.

"Why? Are you hiding something?" He asked, gripping the creature's arms with shaky hands. Maybe he was afraid of the monster, but he wasn't going to let the other know.

"Perhaps."

"What is it?"

"None of your business."

"Tell me."

They stayed like that, James still gripping the creature's arms tightly, keeping him close. The water was still running, but it didn't matter - The man wasn't going to lose this time. They were finally talking about something that had bothered him all this time. Besides, as time passed, Pyramid Head did seem more sociable, in a way, and less dangerous. All the times the monster had been violent were when he had needed punishment after failing again. So he wasn't that scared anymore; if he could, he was going to search for every piece of information the monster had.

"Do you trust me, James?" Pyramid Head finally talked, and moved a hand quickly, holding James by the neck and lifting him against the wall, his other hand placed on the blonde's hip. "Do you?" He said again, while James kicked around, holding on to the monster's forearms so as not to choke.

"L-Let… go!"

"If you do, let go of my arms." The monster said again, his voice low but a bit softer this time.

James widened his eyes, and gasped lightly, still holding himself up with his arms. Of course he _wouldn't_ let go! The monster wanted to choke him, and he was expecting him to simply let go? Between confused and scared, he shook his head 'no'.

"Why should _I_ trust you then?" The Executioner lowered him to the floor gently, and let go of his neck, walking away. "Hurry up."

"W-Wait." James said, his hand on his neck. He hadn't felt pain, now that he thought of it. The monster hadn't put any pressure on his neck. Maybe he could…? He couldn't die, anyway. He knew the monster didn't want to hurt him when it wasn't necessary, either, even bandaging his hand when he had cut himself. Perhaps he could try. Just a little bit of trust.

"Yes?"

"I… I-I can try." He said, and then sighed, noticing how stupid that must've sounded. Still, he _did_ remember how the monster usually knew what he was thinking or what he meant, so he wasn't surprised when Pyramid Head walked back over to him, and wrapped his hand around his neck once again, lifting him. James couldn't help holding onto his arms as soon as his feet left the floor.

"Try, then."

Slowly and fearfully -even though he kept repeating to himself that he wasn't scared- James let go of the Executioner's arms, letting his hands rest by his sides, hanging. To his surprise, the monster was holding him up by his jaw, not the neck. Wondering why hadn't he trusted him at first, he noticed the grip on his hip and blushed lightly, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Sometimes he had to remember himself that he was, well, _naked_. And that the monster was Pyramid Head, out of all, even though the creature had proved he didn't have any second intentions yet.

"Was it that hard, James?" The creature said, and before James could answer anything, Pyramid Head let him fall to the floor without any warning. The man grunted and sat up, frowning, and glared at the monster in front of him. Still, instead of saying something insulting, James couldn't find any words as the creature kneeled in front of him, placing a hand behind James' neck and yanking him forward. "See by yourself."

He hadn't quite understood what he meant, and only once Pyramid Head slightly tilted his helmet up with his other hand, he caught the monster's intentions. Doubting at first, he moved closer to him, under his helmet, like he was before when resting against him.

Now, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. Okay, maybe before he wanted to see if it was a weak spot for the monster, as a way of escaping, but now he had pretty much erased that option from his possibilities. There was no way he could escape, not from a monster like him, or in the state he was - tired, full of scars, and above all things tired. He barely had the energy to _walk_.

"I can't see." He said, trying to excuse himself - He really wanted to see, but he didn't want to, at the same time. It was confusing, but perfectly made sense. He knew curiosity could be dangerous, and the creature did say he shouldn't look for things he didn't want to find…

Pyramid Head moved slightly, and James thought he was going to stand up and leave -part of him wanted this, part of him didn't-, but instead, the creature grabbed James' hands with his own and moved them under his helmet, making him _touch._

James wanted to say something, anything, just to make the monster stop. But still, even though his mind raced thinking up insults or yells for the monster to go away, the blonde's hands moved on their own, touching up a neck, a jaw, a pair of lips… He closed his eyes, wanting to imagine better: He traced unknown patterns on the skin, traces of maybe scars, or simple deformation. He traveled higher, but instead of finding a nose or the rest of what resembled a human face, everything was unknown - there were no eyes, no cheeks, no nose. He couldn't make out anything, and it was probably just the repulsive, monstrous deformation that he was expecting, after all. Disgusting forms that seemed to even be part of the helmet itself, the skin merging with the cold metal at one point. His stomach churned lightly - he tried hard to visualize what he was touching, and that made everything worse. The monster probably looked like any other.

But why hadn't he stopped touching?

He opened his eyes and faced darkness once again, looking up at what he was touching still. His cheek was pressed against the monster's chest, and he could smell the blood - his own blood. He closed his eyes again and tried to get lost once again in that trance of senses, and shivered, suddenly noticing that his hands were free now, and that gloved hands were on _his_ body, one behind his neck, and the other on his shoulder. He felt the creature's chest move slightly, and the hand behind his neck played clumsily with his hair, tickling him lightly. Sighing, James let his hands travel wherever he wanted, and his fingers finally rested on the creature's jaw, the tips touching his lips, lightly.

He hadn't even realized if time had passed when Pyramid Head pulled away, standing up with a sudden movement and making James try to hold on to anything, which was the floor in front of him now. He looked up, not sure of what to say, as the Executioner simply walked out of the bathroom to the bedroom, disappearing from James' sight.

After that, he heard the door creak open, and then slamming.

The next minutes were more than just awkward. James seemed to wake up, sitting up in the middle of the space that was supposed to be a shower, and then stood up quickly, washing his face and turning off the water. He felt strange, a mix between anger and… something he didn't really care to recognize. He just felt it and that alone made him even more frustrated. Hugging himself to keep the warmth, he walked to his room and picked the new set of clothes set of top of the table -probably courtesy of Peep, since he hadn't seen them before-, getting dressed quickly in the plain white shirt, a thick, green sweater and a pair of comfortable pants. After that, he jumped into the bed, his face against the pillow, covering himself with the covers so as not to get cold.

Just _what_ had happened?

He didn't even want to think about it. He tried hard _not_ to remember what had happened a few minutes ago, to think of anything else, anything but that. But then again, he was trying to get distracted from other thoughts that tortured his mind. His dreams, the 'illusions' as Pyramid Head called them, and then again he was thinking about him. Groaning, he turned around to look up at the ceiling, concentrating on just that - the ceiling, the plainness, maybe the oxidized edges. While forcing himself into this daze, he could swear he heard a loud noise from outside of his room, perhaps metallic. He wasn't sure, usually no sounds could penetrate the thick walls.

"Peep."

James didn't need to look to know who it was, so he just kept his stare on the roof as he felt the larval stalker climbing up his bed, sitting by his side. He didn't notice how the small creature was shaking lightly, which stopped soon as he relaxed by the man's side. Still looking up, yet wrapping an arm absentmindedly around the stalker, the blonde slowly felt his eyelids getting heavier. At least he could rest peacefully now, with no nightmares haunting his sleep.

Before falling asleep, he let his mind wander - it had been a long day that hadn't ended yet, and a lot of things had happened. From the strange, a bit _too_ real dream about Mary, and then the empty space that could only mean something like death; he couldn't think nor remember what happened, like a blocked thought. And then the even stranger session with the red demon. He _had_ trusted the monster, and perhaps being so deep on his thoughts about death and Mary he hadn't really analyzed it - they were slowly building something that could be called trust. He looked over at the open bathroom door, and blinked a few times. It wasn't supposed to be open, and the creature had said he wouldn't leave him alone in there because of the risk of hurting himself.

He had been alone and was now, yet he hadn't tried anything. It hadn't even crossed his mind.

Did that mean anything at all? Probably not. Then again, he was drifting away from the important matter, what he wanted to pay attention to. The part that had left him more confused than anything else.

Why did Pyramid Head want him 'away' from those illusions; his dreams? Weren't they similar to the nightmares the monster gave him every night? The one difference was how real they felt, how much sense it made to be laying right next to Mary, both in their vacations in Silent Hill, enjoying the company and her taking care of him after what she said was an 'accident'. And it had all felt so real, so perfect. His bruises made sense, her words made sense… For a minute, he did think all of this was a nightmare, a hellish remain of a blurry night, and that reality was with Mary and the beauty of the life he missed so badly. But then, the red demon had convinced him otherwise. He said reality was here, with being trapped and suffering a life not even death could fix, away from the illusion of what he hoped was reality.

Then again, the monster could've been wrong.

Trying to snatch him away from his perfect world.

His eyes widened; all the sleep washing away with these thoughts. He looked around, at the chair, the candle, the opened door, the other door, the table, and Peep; sleeping by his side. He then looked at the ceiling again, not sure of what to believe or think anymore. He _wanted_ this to be a nightmare, he truly did. But something said it wasn't, said that perfection wasn't that easy and that he was damned to this awful reality. And that something was the monster, the creature, the Executioner. Pyramid Head.

And for some reason, he truly felt he trusted him this time.

**End of Chapter 4.**

Well, there goes another chapter. I'm really sorry for taking so long, but you know I have to be really inspired to write this, otherwise it turns out bad and the least thing I want is submitting something you people won't enjoy.

I know this chapter is still short, but even though it doesn't seem much like it, the plot develops a lot here. Quite a lot.

Oh, and something else: Usually when writing I put little hints and ironies around, which may be hard to spot. In this chapter there's one very important detail, and if you spot it, maybe you'll understand what's going on better. Of course, it's not necessary, everything happens at a time - I'm just giving you some hints. If you need help for spotting it, here's a hint: On my profile, my website is from deviantART; I draw a lot of Silent Hill fan art too. That meas I constantly have to check on the Silent Hill Wikia things like hair color, clothes, and eye color. That's my hint. ~ If you get it, please don't spoil it on a review, you can PM me if you really want to know!

Hope you guys liked it! ~


	5. Chapter 5: Confusion

_-_Chapter V: Confusion_-_

Routines were something common, back then. He liked to spend time during nights thinking back to normal days, going to work, going back home. They weren't happy moments because he wasn't with Mary, but they were _normal_ days nonetheless.

He _could_ say he got back to it.

He wished for a routine, and he got it.

It was a harsh routine. Every day he woke up, each time by a more gentle hand, to be before dragged and now carried outside, where he had to try yet again - Find Laura, talk with her, and either run away because of Angela unleashing her fury or because the little girl would get away, knowing the town even better than himself.

Then back to prison, to staring at the ceiling, to strange and blurry memories of tweezers ripping at his skin, of sleeping on a cold table with nothing on, of being tied down under a shower of ice-cold water. All blurry, all messy, and all done by sticky, gloved hands.

But then again, they were the same hands that got him clothes, that Peep insisted they were the responsible of his meals, that cured him, healed him, and woke him up when he simply would fall asleep, soon to fall victim of the nightmares. James knew the monster thought he didn't notice it, but he did. Right when the images started forming, a firm shaking would wake him up. He never opened his eyes in the moment - He waited until he heard heavy footsteps, a door closing, and the distant sound of a sword screeching against the floor.

It was nice at first, but then it got confusing. Sitting there on his bed, after another night of staying up to avoid the nightmares, James threw Peep up and then caught him, deep in his thoughts. Not even the stalker's soft giggles and sounds could distract him.

"Another day." James sighed, catching the small creature again and holding him close against his chest. Peep welcomed the embrace, cuddling against him. "I just don't have any hopes left, I guess." He added, sure now that the monster could understand him, as Pyramid Head had told him.

"Peep."

The blonde looked down at the creature, and narrowed his eyes. The larval stalker was always there at nights, helping him stay up. He wondered what did the _other_ monster do during the night.

"Get up." And the same monster from his thoughts entered the room, blood dripping from his apron. James shivered lightly - he was used to it, he could figure what the red demon did because of the fresh blood staining him every morning, but he still couldn't help but wonder what did the monster _exactly_ do.

"I'll try again?" He asked, not even sure why. He knew he had to go through this like every other day, why ask? Maybe he still had the hope the monster would say, 'No, not today.' As silly as it sounded, James had to admit he secretly wished to hear that.

"You will go to the hotel."

Not the same answer as every day, yet not the one he wanted to hear. James tried saying something, but only mumbled, incapable of asking what he needed to know. _Why? Why? Why?_

"Laura went back to the Lakeview Hotel."

_Still_ not the answer he wanted to hear, and he knew the monster could sense this, but still avoided telling him. He frowned, and didn't move from the bed, telling him with his best glare that he wouldn't move. He wasn't going to get close to that place ever again.

"There is no other choice, James."

The man didn't move. This time was the last one. He _wasn't_ going to enter that burned down hotel. He wasn't going to go look into any room, and he wasn't going to look for Laura who would probably be, judging by his luck, in the room he _definitely _didn't want to visit, not after what happened there, not after is nightmares.

Maybe the room was still in perfect state like his last visit, while the rest of the hotel was burnt.

His glare met the crimson helmet, trying to focus again on the situation instead of his thoughts, which were slowly driving him into memories he didn't want to remember right now.

He should've expected to find Pyramid Head quickly moving by his side, taking him in his arms with blankets included, and carrying him out of the room. It didn't matter if he hadn't showered, or if he just wearing a pair of pants and a shirt.

He stopped struggling once the bright, almost white sky appeared, letting himself fall limp on the monster's arms. No point in arguing anymore.

"Where is everyone?"

Angela looked away from the lake, her hair moving softly with the breeze. She simply loved how fresh it felt; sometimes she didn't know how much time passed while she was staring at the water.

"Uhm, what?" She asked, looking at the blond girl trying to open the fences in the small garden, sighing when finding out she couldn't.

"This place is empty." Laura said, walking back to the dark double doors. Angela followed her, helping her open the old doors that seemed about to fall at any moment.

"Well, it's closed. It's burnt." They both entered the hotel, or what left of it - The structure still remained, but the walls were dark, the floor was wet and squished with each step they took, and most rooms and places were closed for safety.

"I know it is, but…" Laura sighed lightly, and walked quickly checking all the doors, running up the stairs when failing to find an open one. Angela followed as always, this time frowning, for the first time worried about the girl. Laura didn't have problems speaking her mind, so if there was something troubling the girl, it should be important.

While watching her checking the doors, Angela thought back to when they met - she had always wondered how a little girl was in Silent Hill, unharmed, and most importantly, how did she see the world? Was it filled with flames? Was it dark, empty, foggy, or maybe normal like any other town?

"There's an open room here!" Laura's voice made her wake up, the young woman quickly walking over to the door Laura had disappeared into. It looked like a small library, with shelves full of books. Around the biggest shelf, behind it, were more books and a desk with an open book on it and a pair of headphones.

"Do they work?" She wondered out loud, and the blonde quickly grabbed them and adjusted them to her head's size.

"Mh… Nah. Just static." She sighed, taking them off and sitting on the chair. She looked outside the window, to the foggy outside. "This is strange."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked her, looking at the books. None seemed too important. It was strange, but she hadn't entered that room before. The hotel looked somehow… different. Then again, the whole town did. Flames seemed to stop appearing, cooled down by a chilly breeze, and also, no monster had attacked. All since she met Laura. Perhaps the little girl _did_ change her for the better, and this was exactly why she worried so much about her.

"It's weird." Laura answered, pouting. She jumped off her seat and ran outside of the room, and Angela followed at her own pace, rolling her eyes. She never had the chance to sit and speak with Laura. She was always running around doing something.

"What is weird?" She insisted, following the girl upstairs, to the third floor. It was the most damaged floor, walls had fallen, making in impossible to go to the rooms at the side. She looked at the few doors left, Laura checking all of them, standing now in front of one near the stairs.

"This place…" The girl said, her voice soft, as if away. Angela waited, intrigued, as the blonde slowly turned the doorknob and opened, stepping slowly, almost shyly into the room. The woman understood and walked by her side, closing the door behind her, not quite sure of why was the girl scared. It was just a room.

Burnt furniture, ashes of what apparently were curtains, and black masses of what was a TV and more furniture. She looked around, noticing the broken windows, one half-open. It was a sad view. The room seemed to be beautiful before.

"B-But…"

The small voice distracted her, and she looked at Laura, who was staring around, her eyes wide. She looked confused, painfully confused even.

"What? What's wrong?" Angela asked, quickly approaching her but not daring to touch her. Laura fixed her stare on what once was the TV, tilting her head to the side.

"How did it happen so quickly?" She asked, turning to look at Angela. "I though there could be stuff left untouched… It was too fast!"

"Untouched by the fire?" The brunette asked, unsure, frowning when Laura nodded. "This hotel burnt down time ago. I even saw it in the news before coming…" She wondered off, but shook away the thoughts and continued. "And I've been here in Silent Hill for a long time now."

"But…"

"Yeah?"

"I came here days ago. It was all normal." Laura admitted, her blue eyes shining with something Angela recognized too well - fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of something that you weren't sure what it was. Was it something bad? Did it mean something? Was it wrong? She had asked herself those questions too many times before.

"C-Could be." She dared to say, voice coming out shaken. Laura was paying attention to her now, she had to say things carefully. "This town, it's… It does things like that, I think. I-It changes."

"Changes? But why? Where did all the people go? Why is it so dark?"

_Dark_. Out of all things Angela expected, Laura said _dark_. She herself hadn't seen the night sky yet, even though she had spent many days in the town. And now Laura said in her world, her vision, it was dark. Always dark. She bit her lower lip, feeling guilt creeping up her spine even when she knew it wasn't her fault. It was still there.

"How dark?"

"It's not that I can't see, but… You know! Look outside! The sky is dark grey!"

Angela looked outside, and saw the blinding white with a tint of red she had always seen in this sky. She felt something on her throat, not letting her ask more questions. It wasn't right. It _couldn't_ be right. Why her? Why such a young, little girl? _Why_?

"… Y-You can see it, right?"

Young and smart. Such a waste, such a… How could the town punish her like this? Why didn't the strange world around this place have mercy on an innocent soul?

She wasn't an innocent soul. James wasn't either.

Maybe Laura wasn't…?

The women snapped out of her thoughts when her gaze fixed on Laura again and found those bright blue eyes staring at her, but bright with tears. The girl was slowly realizing how things were, and that simply wasn't right - Not at such a young age. She couldn't let another girl be corrupted like this.

"O-Of course I can see it…" She whispered, kneeling down to reach her level. For a second, she saw the blue eyes doubt, deep in thought, but then they turned into a glare.

"You're lying."

"N-No, I-I'm… not." Damn her voice and her constant stuttering.

"Yes, you are! Tell me truth! I hate liars!"

"F-Fine, fine! I… I-I don't see it the way you do. But maybe it's just me." Angela dared to place a hand on Laura's shoulder, smiling lightly when it wasn't shrugged off, as she expected. The warmth of another body against her palm felt rare. Strange, and uncomfortable, even. But in that moment, the girl needed it, and it mattered more.

"I hope so." Laura said, looking away stubbornly. The woman sighed, happy that Laura believed her - or at least that she felt better with that little lie. _No_, it wasn't a lie, she wouldn't lie to her. It was just a probably wrong theory. Not a lie.

"What are we looking for, anyway?" Angela decided to change the topic, too overwhelmed by the guilt now settling on her stomach. Laura blinked a few times, quickly, and ran around the room, checking under the bed, near the windows, and near the old TV. The brunette watched her, confused and relieved at the same time.

"We're looking for something." The little girl said, now moving to search on the small living room, around the burnt sofas.

"What, exactly?" Angela asked, following her and looking around. Laura looked up at her, sighing when finding nothing new.

"James' stuff."

"I thought you had the book you wanted?"

"Well duh." Laura glared at Angela so hard that the woman backed a few steps, ashamed of her mistake. "It's just one book. I read it and read it and… it's really confusing. He probably had more."

"Are you sure you… want this?"

This time, both women remained silent. Angela waited for her answer, while Laura decided between answering or not. Angela asked this numerous times, especially when reading together the book - the brunette was afraid of what they were getting themselves into, but Laura never paid any attention to it. She had already decided she would do it, that people would never do things for her and if he wanted thing done, and right, she had to do it herself.

Angela knew this was her answer, so she slump her shoulders in defeat as Laura shook her head and walked over to the door, leaving the room. She followed her as always, but still deep in her thoughts - What were they getting themselves into, anyway? She didn't trust the town. She didn't trust books, images, paintings, nothing. All ignored during her trip.

"I heard the elevator! It's probably still working!"

Laura's words distracted her, and she only caught a glimpse of the girl disappearing behind a door to one of the hallways. She followed and tried to open the door, but to her dismay, it was _locked_.

"L-Laura… Open the door." She said, trying to keep her calm. It was just Laura joking, right?

"Angela? What's taking you so long?" On the other side of the door, Laura frowned while checking the next door, opening it. "Hurry up, it's open!" And then she disappeared behind said door, closing it behind her.

Meanwhile, Angela had already forgotten about all calm and tranquility and started pushing the door, slamming herself against it, trying her hardest to open it. But it was impossible - And no wonder! The whole building was changed, doors stopped working when their frames probably got smaller, making them impossible to open up.

But, she hadn't heard the elevator.

…How could Laura, anyway? They were too far from it…

Her back resting against the door, Angela breathed deeply, trying not to think so much about it. Laura was okay. Everything was going to be okay. The elevator wasn't working on the first floor, maybe it still was on the second? Blocking away all other thoughts and ideas that decided to cross her mind, she walked down the stairs -nearly running- and grabbed a small table from the end of the hall, carrying it over to the locked door that lead to the elevator and that was so hard to open. She had been through this before.

But Laura _hadn't_.

Pressure building on her stomach, her guts churning at the mere thought, she smashed the table against the door with all her strength, over and over again, until she could see the other side. Soon she would be helping the little girl, again.

Or at least she hoped to.

"You know what's inside."

The monster didn't seem to hear him, or maybe he did, but he paid no attention - like he had through the whole trip. James sighed, still looking at the black, burned entrance to the hotel. The words 'Lakeview Hotel' were still readable, even though one of the letters had fallen and others were slightly tilted.

"I don't wanna go." He whined again, hoping he could at least annoy the creature enough to make him leave, so he could escape somewhere else. But he knew it wouldn't work. Pyramid Head was _everywhere_, no matter where he went or what he did, the monster appeared right behind him.

"You have to."

"You know what's inside!"

Again, no response. Of course the monster knew. James glared at him, and then looked at the street - he hadn't been there, he got to the hotel through the lake. Surprisingly, the street wasn't closed near the Historical Society, and they had actually _walked_ all the way to the hotel. Though he had fallen asleep at one time, and when he woke up, they were near the hotel already. More things to back up his theory about Pyramid Head being able to either fly or simply appear and disappear.

"You know, too. So no surprises this time, James."

Worst part was that the creature was _right_. Tightening his fists, James walked to the door, preparing himself for the sight that was about to greet him: an empty room, stone walls, blood splattered everywhere -probably his and Maria's- and memories everywhere ready to flood his brain. He heard footsteps behind him, meaning that the monster was following him. He opened the doors and found a black abyss, and carefully stepped inside, his arms stretched in front of him so as not to crash with anything, not that it should be anything there.

"It's dark." He said just to say something, maybe hoping that the creature would say 'You are right, let us go' or something along those lines. But he heard nothing, just a melody playing at a low volume, slowly rising its tone. He stepped near a wall, and looked blindly for a switch, anything, until his fingers reached it and pressed it.

There wasn't any blood there.

Neither stones.

But there were memories. _Everywhere_.

Eyes wide in disbelief, James watched the stairs, the perfectly kept walls, the coach at one side and the reception at the other. In the middle of the main hall was the music box, its disk still spinning and the melody now loud and clear to his ears.

Just what…?

His eyes narrowed, not allowing any tears to fall down. He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again, but the image was still there - the hotel in perfect condition. He knew it now, _it wasn't him_. This whole world was crazy, the town, or just the hotel. But it wasn't him. He turned around, ready to scream, _I told you, I told you_, but the words got stuck on his throat. Pyramid Head wasn't there.

He ran to the door, almost crashing against it, and tried to open them - locked. He looked around once again, feeling his breath quickening. Everything was slowly washing over him, like a giant wave. He felt like falling to the floor, maybe close his eyes for a while and let it happen, but he couldn't. There surely would be punishment if he did, a harder one for not even trying. So he stood up and looked around, wondering where could Laura be, or where should he start his search. He looked up stairs, and thought about checking the hotel from top to bottom, third floor first.

_James_…

_I'm waiting for you…_

James shook his head, quickly walking towards the doors and entering the main hallway. It was better to start with the basement and then go up. Why rush bad experiences?

_To make them go away faster_. He thought, walking down the stairs. He looked behind him, raising an eyebrow, wondering where did all the monsters go. Well, it was better this way, it wasn't like he had anything to defend himself with.

Looking around, he missed his flashlight already, the elevator's dim light barely helping him notice his surroundings. At least there weren't any mannequins around. He entered the elevator, and it didn't work, as usual. Frowning, he entered the Venus Tears bar, made his way to the kitchen and then to the narrow hallways. He checked every room, but Laura wasn't anywhere. He should've known. The girl was in _that_ room, like she knew he'd have to go there some time. Just his luck.

"Ow! Stupid thing!"

He looked up, not really sure if what he heard was real or yet another delusion. He walked over to the last door, the one leading to the stairs, and pressed his ear against it.

"Angela! Are you outside? Come on!"

Definitely Laura. James smiled to himself, _yes;_ he wouldn't have to go to that damned room. Though, something worried him, the girl sounded like she was scared, whining. He opened the door, and found her sitting on the top stair, arms crossed stubbornly.

"Laura." He called, and the blond girl looked down at him, eyes narrowing instantly.

"Oh, not you again! Angela!" She called again, but nobody answered, and the door from the first floor didn't open. James raised an eyebrow, and walked up one step, stopping when Laura stood up. "No! Don't come any closer!"

"You know I… I just want to speak with you, Laura." The man walked back his step, hands raised before him. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

"…F-Fine." Laura took her moment to answer, sitting down again. "But promise you won't come up."

"I promise."

They locked eyes for a moment, James hoping this would be the last time he would see the girl, feeling closer and closer to his freedom. Green eyes showed hope, while light blue eyes showed nothing more than hate. Laura didn't trust James, neither did she trust his promises - She knew he never kept his word. So many 'He promised he would come tomorrow', 'He promised he would bring me what I asked him', 'He promised he would come this week' she had heard, and none of them ever happened.

Still, she had to believe. If the man wanted, he could come closer to her, but he was staying down for now. She didn't want to go back to the dark, gloomy hallways she had been through, so it was better to be with someone.

Though, she wasn't sure about what scared her most, the darkness or James.

"What do you want?" She snapped then, distracting herself with her hair, twirling a strand on her finger.

"I want you to leave this town."James said, thinking about how many times he had said that before. "I told you, Laura, this place is dangerous. You aren't safe here." This time, James could see the lack of determination on the girl's eyes. She was actually listening to him.

"But…" Laura started, eyeing her backpack. The blue book was still there, and so was her flashlight, out of batteries. She couldn't leave just now. She wanted to accomplish what she wanted, she wanted Mary back, she wanted to do what James' didn't even dare to. She would give Mary what her husband never did, happiness, someone by her side, a daughter. "I can't." She finally said, looking back at James, and jumping lightly. Since when was the whole place so _dark_?

"Please, Laura." James insisted, feeling the urge to go upstairs and simply grab the girl and take her so far away from the town she wouldn't know how to come back. He fought against this, though. "I can see you're scared."

"I'm n-not!" Laura yelled, feeling her voice cracking. She wasn't scared! She was used to this town, she knew the streets and everything! What, would the town scare her? Was loneliness supposed to her on her nerves? Surely not!

But why, _oh why_ did it all have to be so dark?

"Go back home, Laura. You'll be safe there." James tried again, this time seeing through the girl's angry words. She was afraid. And this time, no matter how wrong it sounded, he was going to take advantage of it. "Before monsters come back."

"Monsters?" Laura smiled suddenly, and laughed loudly, hands on her stomach. "Maybe you see monsters, James. You're crazy." She said, simply, giggling. Monsters, how ridiculous was that? No wonder, the man was completely out of his mind! She looked up again, the room this time darker, though she ignored it. It was simply impossible.

"You never know." James bit his lip, frowning. Now she was laughing at him, _perfect_. He didn't know how far his patience could go, and the girl was testing it, yet again. He tried hard not to snap, even though the girl was asking for it. "Just leave, please?"

"Why do you want me to leave so much?" Laura stood up, and looked down at James, enjoying her authority via height. James felt this, looking to the side for a few seconds, thinking about his answer. He hadn't really counted on the girl asking this. He thought she wouldn't notice.

"I want the best for you."

"Right." Laura rolled her eyes, officially not paying attention anymore. Now she knew James was lying. She looked over at the door behind her, still waiting for Angela to appear. What took her so long? The elevator wasn't that slow…

"Listen, Laura. You'll leave, or I'll…!" James stopped himself mid-sentence, clenching his fist. _Don't do it_, he thought. _Don't ruin it_.

"Or you'll what?" Laura asked, unconsciously moving away from the stairs, closer to the door. So far, James was scarier than the darkness behind it.

"I… Just… Please." The blond man didn't know what else he could try now. Laura frowned at him, and stuck her tongue out, hands on her hips.

"Well I won't! You can't make me leave, James! You just want Mary for yourself, and you don't even deserve her!" The little girl exploded, words going out freely now. She needed it; the darkness was stressing her, every second the room grew darker, the stairs shorter, James closer to her.

"I do-"

"Shut up! You tried nothing to save her, James! You _killed_ her, you let her go, and I'm going to bring her back! Not you!" Laura almost screeched at him, panting slightly after her screams. James gave her one quick glance, and started running up the stairs.

"Shut up or I'll shut you up, Laura! I'm warning you!"

"Go away!" This time, Laura's scream was of fear as she ran over to the door, opening it quickly and closing it behind her, locking it with the key she had found in a nearby room. Soon James started banging on the door, making her gasp and run over to said room to carry boxes, chairs, anything she could carry or push over to the door to block it, even though the lock was enough to keep it shut. She pressed one last box full of God-knew-what against it, and ran towards the elevator, shutting the doors and waiting there, resting her back against the wall. Tears running down her cheeks, she let herself slip to the floor, hugging her knees. She only hoped to find Angela again. She didn't want to be alone any longer.

Back to the stairs, James was resting against the door, tired of all the pushing and slamming. It was no use. Now Laura had run away, probably scared so badly she was never going to let him speak to her. What was left, now? He grabbed his hair, tugging at it lightly, sighing heavily. He ruined it! Now where was freedom? Nowhere! Not a chance to escape this hell. The perfect and last chance… He blew it. And he would have to pay for it.

"Or you can simply let go."

He looked up, quickly scanning the door on the lower floor, and then scanning the rest of the roof. He tensed when he saw the disturbing image of a body hanging from the ceiling, upside down, and a faceless creature looking at him, teeth showing between folds of what looked like meat on his blurry head. The same monster that emerged from the ceiling when he was in the 'healing room'. The same monster that had shamelessly stuck a finger on one of his wounds. Remembering the pain, James cornered against the door, looking around for anything he could use to defend himself.

"Just die." The monster spoke again, letting himself fall from the roof to land on his feet, covered in a pair of boots that reminded James of the red demon.

"Who are you?" He asked, moving away still pressed against the wall when the creature got closer to him.

"Maybe I'm the Red Pyramid."

"You're not." James said almost automatically. That creature surely wasn't Pyramid Head; he had seen both of them at the same time. "I've seen you before."

"And you too have seen two creatures of his kind at the same time before, have you not?"

Almost at a loss of words, James frowned, the sick smirk on the creature's face making him angry. It disturbed him, to say the least.

"You don't look like him!"

"Oh, you've seen under his helmet, then?"

Before he could answer a swift 'not really', James felt a familiar but still unknown feeling on his stomach, creeping up his spine. The memories of how he knew about Pyramid Head's jaw, different from this creature, came back to him and made his fingers tremble, almost scratching the wall behind him. He didn't want to think about it anymore, but the memory was still so clear on his head… Not the image, for his eyes had been closed, but the texture, the roughness of the skin, the uneven patterns of maybe scars… He shook his head, and looked up to find the monster now much closer to him.

"Forget about all this and die, already."

And before he could react, a strong hand punched the side of his head, making him fall to the floor. He tried to recover, still dizzy from the hit, but a strong boot kicked him on his stomach once, twice, three times - from there, he lost count, trying his hardest to crawl away from the monster. Once the beating stopped, he looked up, feeling a trail of blood going down to his chin. The creature wasn't there anymore.

"Isn't death what you want?" His voice was still there, somewhere, and James sat up, trying to focus on where was the voice coming from. "You can have it. I'll grant you your wish, even." It seemed to come from… under him? He reacted quickly, trying to stand up no matter how much pain he felt, but the monster was faster, hands appearing from the floor and gripping his shoulders, pulling him down to the floor, on his back. James felt with horror how a body slowly appeared under him, legs wrapping around his own to keep him still.

"L-Let go!" He pleaded, struggling to get away, but both hands smacked him on his ears, hard, making him feel his head squished for a few seconds. He narrowed his eyes, a ringing now loud on his head, slowly becoming an unbearable headache. One arm wrapped around his chest, then, and the other around his neck, choking him.

"Ironic, don't you think?" The monster smiled, his teeth near the now useless ears of the human, who couldn't hear anything but the loud ringing. James gasped for air as the monster's grip got stronger, his lungs aching for the lack of air. "The name is Valtiel, by the way. Not like you're going to remember it."

"L-Let… g-go…!" The sensation was horrible. It made a dark, twisted memory come back to him - a brief flash of him quickly opening the windows of his car, to then feel the water on his body, filling him where air should be.

"Shh. Just let it go." Valtiel kept smirking, tightening his grip to finish off the human, but a strong hand gripped his leg and pulled him away with a quick movement, steel meeting against his face in the moment he looked up to know what was happening. Dark blood poured to the floor, and a guttural scream filled the air, not that James could hear it. The blonde looked up, a hand caressing his abused neck, watching the scene with a blurry vision. He caught the glimpse of familiar red, and the glint of polished and sharp steel. He smiled weakly, letting his head fall to the floor as everything started turning dark, his lips muttering a low 'thank you' to his savior.

"What are you doing, Valtiel."

The strong voice wasn't loud enough to make James wake up, but it did make the hurt demon now on the floor flinch, a hand gripping his face, trying to stop the blood flowing from the horrible wound.

"I could ask you the same!" Valtiel growled, barely crawling near a wall to rest against it. Pyramid Head placed his Great Knife between the creature and the now unconscious James.

"Stop crying. You are immortal." He said, voice still powerful and the knife held tightly, as a warning that it could be lifted any time. The faceless monster looked up at him, lowering his hand when the blood stopped flowing.

"Nevertheless. You didn't ask what my reasons were."

"I am listening."

Valtiel glanced at James' body, and then back at the red demon, taking his time to answer. He controlled the need he had to smirk, and kept a serious expression, or as serious as a tilted down feature-less face could look.

"He helped the girl."

Meanwhile, after breaking down two doors with much effort and the help of an axe she had found on the first floor, Angela kicked away the last piece of wood blocking her way and entered the next hallway, sighing happily when seeing the elevator. She ran towards it and pushed the buttons, but it didn't do anything. The look of despair once again settling on her face, she looked around the corner, eyeing the rooms for any idea that could come to her to find Laura, until she heard the familiar _ding_ from an elevator, from a room. She entered it, quickly, and found an empty locker, a table, boxes, and the staff elevator opening its doors, Laura sitting the floor, hugging her knees. As soon as she saw her, the brunette ran towards her and hugged her, carrying her away from the elevator and back to the normal, much more comfortable hallway.

"Where were you?" Laura whispered, clutching Angela's sweater. The woman sighed heavily, smiling and thanking whatever God was on this town that had helped her.

"I'm sorry. I-It won't happen again."

Even though no eyes were visible in neither of the creatures, they were watching each other carefully, the one on the floor ready to climb up the wall if it was necessary. One never knew how the Red Pyramid would react.

"He did not."

"I'm telling you. He told her where he saw and left the Crimson Ceremony book. Why do you think I was following him?" Valtiel explained, and fought hard against smirking when he felt the sudden change on the monster's aura. He could see fingers clutching the sword, twitching lightly, and he could hear sharp teeth gritting under the heavy helmet. "Is it so hard to believe? He is a human. A selfish one, you should know."

"I do not trust you that much, either."

"You trust him more?"

No answer. Valtiel knew perfectly what it meant: The red demon didn't even want to admit his defeat.

"Come on, let's rest a bit, okay?" Angela carried Laura over to a nearby room, and sat on a dusty armchair, the little girl immediately sitting on her lap, not exactly cuddling, but it was a start. The woman had the feeling neither of them had ever experienced many hugs and other demonstrations of affection.

"Aren't you gonna ask why I'm like this?" Laura asked, a bit stubbornly, looking at Angela with teary but strong eyes. Angela blinked many times, blushing lightly.

"Oh… N-No, not really. I just want to comfort you. I understand if you're scared, I guess. I-I can't blame you."

The blonde kept her eyes on her, a disapproving look on her eyes. Angela flinched under the stare, not sure of what to say, or if she should apologize. Laura simply shook her head and stood up, now recovered from her scare.

"You're weird. But a good kind of weird."

Angela smiled, feeling relieved - coming from the little girl, it surely was a compliment. She let herself relax on her seat, after all that energy wasted on breaking down ridiculously thick doors, she was spent. She looked up, at the ceiling, and her eyes widened, all relaxation going away.

"What is it?" Laura frowned, hearing Angela gasping. She finally looked up, and found what had caught the woman's attention.

Written with dark red letters like ink, a message was waiting for them there. Laura's eyes widened in curiosity, reading it word by word, smiling like it was some sort of game they just started playing.

_Second floor, reading room. The red book._

"What does it…?" Angela started, still shocked. She surely hadn't seen that before. Laura grabbed her arm, snapping her back to reality.

"Come on! We're on the second floor, the reading room is close!"

"We're actually going there?" Angela paled, but followed the girl nonetheless, not missing the girl's surprised face when finding the badly damaged door, stepping through the holes in them.

"Well, duh. Of course we are!" The little girl ran through the hallway to the reading room, and entered so quickly Angela had to run after her. Definitely not leaving her alone again.

"We've already been here before…" She said, looking around the old place. Laura began looking at the books, and took them out one by one, shaking off the ashes from them. Angela watched her, and was about to help, when the little girl let out a small 'yes' and raised a certain book above her head.

"Here! I found it!" Angela took the book, carefully. A completely red book, entitled 'Crimson Ceremony', with no author whatsoever. She looked through its pages, not sure if she would read it herself, let alone let a little girl read it.

"I don't know, Laura…"

"The town is helping us." Laura interrupted her, taking the book from her hands and sitting on the desk, opening it on her lap. "Huh… We need to get new batteries for my flashlight…" She said, pouting. Angela raised an eyebrow, reading the words from the book perfectly.

"Uhm, read it closer to the window?"

"But it's dark outside."

Laura looked up at her, and as soon as Angela caught the slightest sign of fear on the girl's eyes, she nodded, letting out the faintest 'you're right', looking again at the bright white with shades of red outside.

"Was the town less… dark?" The woman asked, and Laura smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, the bowling place has light! Let's go over there. We can read the books together!" She jumped from the desk and ran outside of the room, and Angela again followed her, not sure if she should feel afraid of what they were getting themselves into, or flattered at the fact that Laura was including her in her activities, and gladly.

The small room with the stairs was still silent, except for the sound of James' breathing. Pyramid Head moved then, startling the other monster.

"If you in fact trust him more…" Valtiel started, slowly standing from the floor, a hand going up to grip the side of his head, his wound aching. "…Go see by yourself. I'm not lying."

The red demon lifted his knife, and grabbed James' body from the floor, less careful than the other times. He opened the door with a strong push, almost tearing it from its hinges, and walked with a quicker pace to the main hall. Valtiel followed him, crawling after finding out his wound still made him dizzy, and hearing the footsteps going down the stairs, and then running on the main hall.

"They're leaving." Valtiel said, and this time he didn't hide the smirk on his lips. Pyramid Head was already following Angela and Laura, his attention on them.

"Which way?" Angela asked, happy to finally leave the hotel. She needed the fresh air. Laura pointed to their left, catching her attention.

"That way back to South Vale. Or at least that's what the huge billboard says." The blonde rolled her eyes, and started running down the empty street, Angela doubting before following her.

"It's t-too far!"

"Who cares? We'll rest later!" Laura laughed; feeling like it was the start of a brand new adventure. Grabbing the book tightly, she stopped only to place in on her backpack, and then started running again once Angela was close enough.

They both disappeared into the fog, two figures watching them from the entrance to the hotel. One once tall and straight that now couldn't help the twitching on his body, and the other on his four, body shaking lightly with contained laughter.

"And there goes the book." He said, and was answered with the Great Knife shoved through his hand, pinning it to the floor. "W-What…!"

"You tried to kill him." Pyramid Head said, simply, taking out his knife and ignoring the hiss Valtiel let out, waving his hand as if that would make it heal faster.

"So? He deserves death!" The creature growled, forced to stand up to avoid hurting his hand with his own weight.

"He does not. He only deserves suffering."

Again he felt shivers up and down his spine, but this time they were familiar shivers, hearing a voice that he only heard when the Red Pyramid was out hunting for victims to take out his anger on. Smirking, Valtiel let himself merge into the cement floor, shadows surrounding him as he thought about how no nurses, lying figures nor mannequins would be abused this night.

Last thing he saw before drifting into his underground world was the figure of Pyramid Head walking again, dragging the Great Knife easily behind him, the body of the human on his shoulder clenched tightly by a shaking hand, fingers searching on their own for bare skin to scratch and tear.

**End of Chapter 5.**

First, I need to apologize for taking so long, but this chapter was very long and hard to write for I had to take a few... decisions, you see. For anyone who thought I was giving up on this story I can assure you, I will finish it. I can't promise a date or tell how much time it may take me to write a new chapter, it always depends on school and things like that, but please don't worry. This will be finished. ~  
Also, probably everyone knows what's going to happen next. Oh boy.

As always I hope you liked it, if you have any questions, comments and such, leave a review, they always encourage me to keep writing. ~


	6. Chapter 6: Mirrors

**Dreams, Lies, and Faceless Masks**

_-_Chapter VI: Mirrors_-_

The cold, fresh breeze moved his hair back and forward, as a restless hand caressed his forehead, trying to keep the hair in place. No use, though. The action kept happening, like some sort of zombie, she would move his hair back into place, and the breeze from the lake would move it again, covering the face she wanted to see fully.

Soon said face showed signs of green as his eyes opened up, narrowing instantly when the piercing light invaded his orbs. Only slowly he could open them again, his vision focusing on the green, the blue, the white. Trees framing the landscape, the lake in all its majesty below, the rest of Silent Hill behind it and the white of the sky framing it, as always. No sun could be seen, just white. He couldn't know if they were clouds or maybe it was the sky that always remained like that.

"I'm so sorry."

Like a slap to the face, James closed his eyes again after hearing that voice. A hand held his own, another hand rolling up his sleeve.

"Oh dear, just look at this… I am so, so sorry…"

He dared to open one eye, looking at his hand held by delicate fingers, wrist caressed slowly, red marks stinging.

_Red marks._

He swallowed, eyes glued to his wrist. The marks were there, scars of what had happened, scars that weren't there before, because they weren't real.

Then again, when he looked up at the woman by his side, he found perfection in her eyes. It _had_ to be real. She moved her lips, mouthing yet another 'I'm sorry', her fingers still caressing around his wrist.

"I didn't want to let you go."

"Where did I go?" The man asked, fighting to look someplace else. He knew this was wrong, there was a deep, low voice reminding him all the time that these delusions weren't real, they were just part of his brain, of broken, painful memories. Still, Mary kept talking, and everything made so much sense it was going to drive him crazy.

"You keep fainting, after the accident." She sighed, looking down when noticing she didn't have his attention anymore. "It worries me a lot… You need to sleep, James. The more you stay awake… It'll make you weaker, make you faint more often."

"…I haven't slept?" James wondered out loud, resting a hand on his forehead. _Why_, why did it all make sense? He remembered Mary telling him he should sleep. And he felt so safe by her side, he _was_ falling asleep at one point, but then claw-like fingers ripped him away from his deserved sleep, back into the hellish reality he was living over in the other world.

At least he recognized them both as different worlds.

Problem was, both words said the other was fake, a nightmare, a dream, and a lie. So who should he believe? He shook his head, and then looked at Mary, who looked up at him almost immediately. He knew which world he _wanted_ to be real.

"I think you need to rest, honey." Mary said, finally, grabbing his hands and holding them between her own. "It'll be good for you."

"I just… can't." James whispered, fearing his voice may break, not sure of why. It was like his body wanted to sleep, yet he hadn't thought about it. He himself didn't know what was that he needed so much, but apparently, his body did.

"Honey, you're trembling." Mary hugged him now, wrapping her arms around his neck, caressing his shoulders. "Please, James. Let me help you." She begged, and James sighed deeply when he felt her breath again his neck. "You need to release all that tension…"

As strange as it was, he didn't doubt it in the moment. Mary was kissing up his neck, slowly, reaching his jaw, his chin and then his lips. Without giving a second thought, he returned the kiss, their lips fitting so perfectly together he felt dazed, brought back to happier, past moments in his life. They broke apart, and their eyes met, hers shining with something James recognized well.

"Mary…" He tried saying, but his wife interrupted him with another kiss, this time more passionate. This time they separated for air, James' breathing ragged, and Mary letting out long, soft pants. The mere image made him shiver, brain clouded with feelings and memories he had missed so much.

"See?" She smiled, cheeks turning an adorable shade of red. "You need to relax a bit… And I'm sorry for that." When seeing the confusion on her husband's eyes, she added, laughing lightly, "For not helping. Maybe you only need a bit of…excitement. If you know what I mean."

Apparently, his hands knew before his brain reacted, wrapping them around Mary's waist, pulling her closer to him. He stole a quick glance to his surroundings, they were both alone in the Observation Deck, his car parked nearby. Mary giggled at his reaction, reaching up a hand to caress his cheek, more seductively than lovingly.

"I'm right, it seems."

"Follow me?" He asked, walking over to the restroom, holding Mary's hand. It surprised him that she hadn't complained about being in public, where anyone could see them. Deciding he liked this more than he was intrigued by it, he let her walk into the bathroom and entered behind her, startled when seeing the place so different - It was clean, like a normal restroom, instead of how he remembered it.

"You look almost scared." Mary pointed, surrounding him with her arms again. "Don't be." She smiled, and rested her head on the crook of James' neck, since he was taller than her. James smiled at this, feeling warm on the inside - he couldn't believe how much he missed it. "You'll rest after this, don't worry…" He heard her whisper, and he rested his head on top of Mary's, lazily looking to the side, catching their reflection in the only mirror. He felt himself blushing at the image, it was only them again, together. He watched Mary's hand moving up and down his back, caressing him, and he returned the favor, letting his fingers travel up and down her sides. She looked up at him, smiling, and caught him looking at their reflection.

They were so perfect…

Mary's eyes met him through their reflection, and James raised an eyebrow, a shiver going up and down his spine. He remembered an old picture they had taken at their wedding, both hugging and looking at the camera, exactly like they were now. But there was just… Something was wrong. Something _felt_ wrong. Still trying to figure it out, he barely felt Mary's tug at his sleeve, now looking up at him, trying to get his attention back. James had stopped his caresses, and he just wasn't responding anymore.

"James? Come on, honey…" She insisted, voice smooth and pleading, impatient, James noticed. He had only heard her talking like that on his dreams, on his innermost wishes… And, right then, she stared at him again through their reflection, and James felt his sight blurring out of pure panic, seeing flashes of yellow and _blue_. Blue, deep blue eyes staring at him.

Familiar, cold blue eyes he had seen so many times, alive, seductive, challenging, and lifeless.

Reacting quickly, he pushed the woman forcefully away from him, _the woman_ because he wasn't even sure who she was anymore, he wasn't sure of who _he_ was either, because everything was mixing, blurring out, brown hair sometimes blonde, brown eyes sometimes blue, and a soft, loving smile sometimes turning into a red, wicked smirk.

"James." He heard her voice call, but whose voice was it? He _knew_ that voice, it had to be Mary! It was Mary back outside, it was Mary inside too, and it was Mary now, _yet it wasn't_. He reached up to grip his hair, hearing the same name over and over again, _James, James, James…_

"Mary…" He muttered back, maybe the real Mary would answer now? But nothing, the same call was repeating, merging with what was a restroom and now was a void of dancing lights, and flashes of changing colors. He felt himself fall to the floor, to a floor he couldn't see, and he closed his eyes, not wanting to meet that confusion, ever again. He felt cold and sick, wanting to throw up the amount of feelings he had now on his stomach, from confusion to despair to anxious, unnerving sensations. The coldness was spreading over his body like poison, and while he kept hearing his name over and over, on his head echoed different words.

No wonder he had been so comfortable during his dream.

It was, literally, born from his wishes.

James felt his body freezing now, and he wrapped his arms around him, trying to warm up his skin. It took him a while until he got used to the movement, like the entire room was spinning. He felt his head spinning too, and he rested his side against a nearby wall, keeping his head still. He didn't know how much time passed until he snapped out of the trance and realized no one was saying his name anymore. He slowly dared to open his eyes, not wanting to meet darkness again, and noticed he was in the bathroom, the place looking like it was filled with light in comparison to what he had seen.

"How…?" He wondered out loud, narrowing his eyes. There was water falling down, too, icy cold water. He shivered upon noticing this, and stood up, turning it off. The place looked as always, white light barely entering it from a crack between the planks of wood that covered a window above the shower. He hugged himself, trying to bring warmth back to his body, and trying to organize his thoughts as to what had happened and what hadn't.

He walked over to the sink, and gripped it tightly, trying to focus. He was in the nightmare, again. In Silent Hill, trapped, beaten up, and hurt. He eyed the corner of the shower, and the idea of closing his eyes again to go back to the other world crossed his mind, though it was quickly pushed away. He looked ahead of him, into the broken mirror, and let out a breathless, sad laugh. Back with who he thought was Mary, he looked healthy, and happy. Now he was just the same image as before, cold, pale, with dark rings now forever under his eyes. He looked down again, closing his eyes, and tried to go back to the dream, to think, to find out - What had _that_ been? Perhaps another nightmare? This time mocking his beautiful illusions, to make him snap out of it?

Pyramid Head's fault, it had to be.

He clenched his teeth, convincing himself about it: It was all a low blow. A gorgeous dream turned into a disgusting nightmare… He had been _so close_. So close to being with Mary, to believing her and her reality, coming back to her and both becoming one again.

He shivered at the thought, feeling a long forgotten chill in his body. Perhaps that was the purpose of the cold shower?

He blushed at the thought, hoping it hadn't happened - What if the monster had dropped him there only to stop his body's reaction to the illusion? As sick as he knew the monster was, he probably did. An even lower blow. Using basic instinct to hurt him…

"You should know I did not cause that dream."

He didn't need to look back. James lifted his gaze, looking at the mirror, and found crimson contrasting against his pale skin and hair.

"You didn't?" He asked, ready to mock the monster if he insisted, not expecting the hand that grabbed the back of his neck and pushed him against the mirror, cheek against the cold surface, feeling the breaking noises right at his ear. James groaned, already feeling the warmth of blood surfacing at his temple. "G-Gh… Why…?"

"Shut up."

James shivered, frozen in his place. He wanted to say something, to _complain_, but the command had been so cold, so strong, he had apparently lost the ability to speak. He looked back as much as he could from his position, the monster still holding him, but failed. He could only see the crimson helmet through the distorted image in the mirror.

"You will only talk if I ask you something."

"Why?" The man managed to spat out, and in return he got more pressure against his neck, feeling his head crushing into the sharp mirror shards. He tried his hardest not to make a sound.

"You failed, James."

He felt the hand now grabbing the back of his head, and it applied more pressure, dragging his face to the side against the mirror. This time he let out a scream, one half of his face already bloody, feeling the cuts reach his ear. Grabbing him by the hair this time, Pyramid Head pulled him away, and then down against the sink, James' forehead meeting hard against it. He groaned in pain, falling to a mess of limps and blood to the monster's feet, but still being held up by his hair.

"You failed me."

James tried to open his eyes, one already feeling heavy due to a cut in his forehead and blood pouring down on it. He didn't get entirely what the monster said, too busy trying to stand up, or to grab onto something, onto anything, just so he wasn't dragged away. It didn't help, though. As he fought to stand up, supporting himself on the sink, he barely caught a glimpse of the monster walking near the door and grabbing his spear. Before he could react, he felt the spear hitting his leg, making him scream in pain, losing his balance, but still keeping himself up. Soon it became quick, strong hits against his legs with the wooden part of the spear, until James finally gave up and fell to the floor, trying to bring himself up with his arms.

"You disgust me."

"Well, look at you!" James screamed, fearing himself when hearing his broken voice. He was _not_ going to cry, he fought hard against crying in pain. He wouldn't show the monster that weakness. "W-Why are you… W-Why are you even…?" He yelled again, panting, still trying to sit up, supporting himself on his arms.

"Shut up, James."

"N-No!" He interrupted again, and as soon as he saw the spear raising again, he continued. "Y-You… I-I failed, and I wanted to try again!" That was only half a lie. The events before his dream were slowly coming back to him, and as soon as sharp teeth in the form of a wicked smile came to his mind, he snapped. "T-That bastard! That monster beat me up, a-and…! He wanted to kill me!"

"You should wish he had."

"W-What…?"

And the spear came down, the point facing the ground now, going straight through his right calf. James howled in pain, hands reacting immediately, leaning forward to reach for the spear, to try and pull it out. The creature kept it in place, moving it slightly to make sure he had pierced just the muscle. He ignored the tugs James did, and held it there with one hand, grabbing James' by his hair again, making him look up. The blonde fought to look away, this time he couldn't held the tears back along with his scream, yet he still didn't want the monster to see it.

"Did you enjoy your illusion, James?"

"F-Fuck you…"

The man this time looked up at him, waiting for a slap, for anything the monster had to punish him. Pyramid Head did nothing, only kept him there, leaning down slowly, putting more pressure on the spear in the process. James hissed, but followed the helmet with his eyes.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"You're sick. Y-You know I'm getting back to my reality with them." James felt his jaw trembling as he said these words. He felt so much hatred for the monster right now, like a spark had suddenly turned into fire inside him. It make him feel sick and angered at the same time. "Y-You only want me to believe you're real."

"I am, whether you want me to be or not."

"You're not!"

"James."

"Stop it! You're not real! _This_ can't be real, I can't possibly…! I-I can't…! I don't deserve this, for…!" Words that seemed so fluent before got stuck in his throat, and James felt a new wave of tears wanting to burst at any second. He couldn't get why he felt so angered. Perhaps he simply snapped, tired of the pain, tired of the punishment. It wasn't normal either for the monster to treat him like this, not damaging to the point of actually piercing his leg or making his sight blurry with dizziness, probably from blood loss.

Pyramid Head did not answer. He took a moment to hesitate, or simply stand there as James saw, and then stood up fully, ripping off the spear with a quick tug. James nearly collapsed of the pain, body jolting and hands reaching out to grab his leg, to then fall back to the cold floor. He looked at the ceiling, not believing this was happening, or maybe waiting for it to end. Maybe the monster wanted to scare him, and that was all? He felt a hand creeping around his ankle, the one from the injured leg, and the creature pulled at him, dragging him. His body tensed, feeling the pulling at his leg and hoping the creature would just get him to wherever he planned to quickly. He looked around him, and noticed he was back into the corner with the shower. He had thought the monster would carry him to the 'healing room'…

"I trusted you."

He heard the voice again, and James looked up at the helmet before him, now leaning down. He flinched in his place, not really understanding what the monster meant, but before confusion settled in, horror came striking with the same force the monster's hand pulled at his remaining clothing, that being an old shirt and his underwear, both wet. Soon he found himself naked, the monster still looming over him, whatever was under the helmet -his face, James knew- darkened by the shadows. James shivered, feeling a whole new different fear. He didn't know what was it, but the monster was acting strange, his actions, his body… Almost like he could tell he had different intentions than other times.

"W-What did I do…?" He wondered out loud, and after only a few seconds of silence, a boot came down forcefully on his hand, and James could just _hear_ his bones cracking under it. While screaming, tears now letting themselves fall freely down his cheeks, the creature grabbed him by the neck and held him up, pushing him so he was sitting against the wall. Pyramid Head let himself fall on his knees, and leaned over him, lower, so the front edge of his helmet was touching James' neck. "W-Wh…!"

"What didn't you do." The monster answered, the man catching the bitter tone hiding under it. He tried to look down, but the helmet was blocking his view, the steel far too close to his face to his liking it. He tried to push the monster away, by his shoulder, but it only resulted in feeling the edge of the helmet pressing his neck further, like a warning. James swallowed, the movement in his throat making him feel the sharp and uneven edge again.

"W-What…"

"Shut up, James."

A hand was suddenly squeezing his injured hand, so hard, James could swear he saw _stars_. He let out a loud scream, struggling to move away, but each time he tried to move the helmet pressed against his neck, each time harder, the last one proving the monster could very well cut his air supply with it, as well as his skin, which had already happened. James felt his other hand twisted behind his back painfully, Pyramid Head keeping it in place, while another hand decided to actually _touch_ his body, the mere sensation bringing the blonde back to his senses and back to his struggling, not caring if his neck was bleeding, not caring if the monster could break his other arm now. He kicked around, making the monster hold down his legs, and so he could use his now free hand to push him and the rotten helmet away.

Not his brightest idea.

Panic did make him stupid, he knew that, and soon the spear pierced his forearm, keeping it still against the floor. James only widened his eyes at the sight, at the blood making a small pool under it. Not even a scream would have been enough to describe the pain he was feeling.

"Stay STILL." The monster growled, this time, and James felt the before controlled hands now twitching against his skin, sliding down to his hips and then to his thighs, only stopping when they were at his knees. Right then, the monster pulled them up, feeling and intruding at every muscle and every ligament. After he stopped, James could breathe deeply, only to gasp when the monster pulled his legs forcefully apart. When feeling the dirty apron against his skin, and feeling actual _skin_ against his skin, James could gather enough words to finally speak.

"W-Why…? W-What did I do?"

The monster paid no attention to him, and resumed his touching and groping, one hand traveling downward and finally groping one of his butt cheeks. James tensed, closing his eyes at the feeling, moaning in fear. He asked again, _why_ was this even happening, _why_. His questions weren't answered, and he continued demanding answers, screaming when feeling latex-covered fingers getting close to parts no one was allowed to touch.

"W-WHY? W-Why are you…!"

"I said shut _up, _James." Pyramid Head growled, words barely understandable. James' entire body was trembling now, thinking of what could he do, screaming again his questions at the monster as soon as he felt the fingers getting closer to his entrance. The monster said nothing, but something distracted James from the pain - A _tongue_, a black, slimy appendage flew from the orifice on the creature's helmet and against his face, finding its way easily into James' mouth, no matter how much the blonde struggled.

"G-Gh…!" Almost gagging, James narrowed his eyes while still trying to pull away from the tongue-like limb. He fought hard against the fingers invading him, but still couldn't do anything as they made their way inside, not even caring if they hurt him.

James shut his eyes, and tried to block himself away, or to at least put his thoughts to an order. There wasn't anything to do, nothing to pull back, he had both hands useless and he didn't want his remaining leg to suffer too. He twitched when feeling the fingers leaving his body, and he dared to open one eye to glance at what he could only see - The crimson helmet. He tried hard to stare at the place where he always thought the monster's eyes should be, pleading with his eyes, only one word repeating on his head: Why, why, why, why… It was more than just physical pain. His body could block it, there was a limit of how much pain one could feel, but he felt his heart tightening in his chest and that pain didn't know any limits.

But _why_?

He had trusted him.

Closing his eyes again, the new sentence ran through his head numerous times - He wasn't sad because of the pain, or of the beatings. He always got through, physical injuries were something everyone could heal from, he knew that from the start, from the very first time a Lying Figure had managed to hit him with their acid.

But this…

He felt tears again at the corners of his eyes. When he had accepted this fate, when he had considered this world being real and the other being a twisted fantasy of his remaining hope, he had accepted it with the monster included, with Pyramid Head as an opportunity. As someone who could actually _help_ him, maybe roughly, but still aid him, for once.

But this wasn't real. It couldn't be. This wasn't _that_ monster.

The nightmare had distorted out of order, and now he only wanted to close his eyes and meet Mary again by the lake, to receive and both share caresses that weren't forceful, that weren't done by slimy, gloved hands. Hands that had held him and helped him to stay up, and that now only wanted to keep him down. He only opened his eyes again when he felt the monster shifting, grunting, to then feel something hard and wet against his already abused entrance.

"S-Stop it…" He whispered, or maybe he screamed, he couldn't tell anymore. "Stop it, stop it, stop it…" Perhaps he was sobbing now, or at least it felt like that, because with the tongue nearly choking him nothing else could be said. Still, he felt the appendage loosing, retracting from his mouth, meaning he was free to speak. Eyes darting everywhere, James pleaded again, the hand that wasn't held by the spear reaching up slowly, until it reached the monster's shoulder, resting and trembling there. "S-Stop it… I-I… I didn't mean anything…"

He felt the monster moving, the hands gripping his thighs and then losing their grip, and so was the pressure in his lower half - Sometimes about to penetrate the human, sometimes stopping and staying still.

"P-Please, stop it…"

Only once he felt the pressure finally going away, the hands letting his legs fall to the floor, James felt safe enough to let his head fall back against the wall, letting himself embrace the now familiar sensation that left him unconscious.

It felt as dark as he felt before.

Seemingly, darkness didn't want to go away, not after so much time passing after it. Or did time pass at all? Perhaps he had just woken up, covered in bandages. It felt, too, like the tenth time he had woken up like that. Darkness, and darkness only.

He didn't miss the nightmares. He didn't miss the illusions. Or maybe he did, but every time he went near that topic, he pushed it away. He only wanted the door to open, for someone to enter and tell him what was going on, to tell him what would happen.

Not even Peep had visited him.

This night, after waking up from regular sleeping, afraid again, he thought the worst. What if the monster had _killed_ Peep? What if the monster, still on his blind rage, not only took him but… took the larval stalker's life too?

Again, after thinking this, he lifted the covers and looked at himself, at his body, and reminded himself the only thing the red demon had told him when he went to check his bandages one night, and he was awake.

"I contained myself."

Sighing, James let himself fall back on his bed, pulling the covers up. The only words he had gotten from that monster after… _that_. And probably one of the few, and the only thing he remember right now the monster had told him about himself. Pyramid Head barely talked about him, about things related to his actions or feelings.

_That is, if he has feelings._ James thought, bitterly, and then rolled to his side, careful not to put pressure on his forearm. He wanted to hate the monster's guts, he wanted the demon to curl up and die if he even could, to go away and never come back, to, to… To _nothing_. The blonde rolled onto his back again, and grabbed his pillow, putting it on his face. He couldn't believe this. It had to be the sickest feeling he had ever had; and no matter how much he wanted to laugh at the image of Pyramid Head suffering, no matter how many times he thought about all the things the monster had done to him…

Why couldn't he bring himself to hate him?

How could he even ask himself that? He _hated_ the monster, hated him with a passion, hated all he did, all he said, and all he would do and say. If he ever came again, that is.

Which left James to his latest worries. No nightmares, no missions to stop Laura, no _nothing_. Barely a plastic bag with food that appeared sometimes and was probably brought when he was sleeping, which gave him a small notion of the days that had passed. He scratched his jaw, feeling hair poking at his fingers. It was a good thing he barely ate anyway; otherwise he'd be scratching at the bathroom door. It was time, already. Time for something to happen. Time for the monster to come back again and tell him-…

But he didn't want to see him!

Repeating it over and over again didn't work at convincing himself. He _wanted_ the monster to return, he wanted someone to tell him what was going on. If he was left to rot on this room, at least he wanted to actually know it, instead of waiting there for something to happen, not sure of what to do, or where to go. Sighing heavily, James closed his eyes, thinking that he could, at least, enjoy the pleasant sleep.

It was during that pleasant sleep that something finally woke him up.

Sitting up, James rubbed his eyes, and found the room only lighted by a brand new candle on a chair, this time near the wall, away from him. He yawned, apparently having missed yet another visit. He couldn't really care in the moment. He was about to close his eyes and sleep again, when he saw a glimpse of something, like hair, at the end of his bed. He assumed it could be just Peep standing there, but the larval stalker wasn't that tall… He crawled over his bed, and as he got a better view, he recognized a head with long, light brown hair, held up neatly, while soft, delicate hands played with the fabric of the sleeves.

It was all he needed to see.

Before he could jump back and secure himself back in his bed, the figure turned around and looked up at him, smiling and standing up from the floor. One lock of hair fell by her face, and James stopped in his tracks, letting out the most relieved sigh he had ever felt. Mary looked stunning, sweet, almost shy and glowing in the dim candle light, her brown eyes looking at him kindly, like she always did.

_Brown._ He noted, moving closer to her, though she shook her head, looking down.

"Hey, James…" She smiled, shyly, lifting up a hand to brush the lock of hair away from her face. She leaned down, supporting herself on the bed, still not looking at James in the eyes.

"Mary, is… Something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She giggled softly, looking up at him, and a blush crept up her cheeks. James smiled too, fascinated with her adorable features, but noticed there was a different glint in her eyes. He moved closer to her, and dared to place a hand on her cheek.

"You sure?"

"Oh, James…" Mary laughed softly this time, and then her hand met James'. "You do know how to read me." She added, and James laughed too, feeling relieved that nothing was wrong. Still, after sharing a few seconds of comfortable silence, James had to wonder what was going on - This was still his room. And Mary was there, out of all people. He took her hand and made her walk around the bed to sit next to him.

"What are you doing here, Mary?" He asked, though he feared the answer. He couldn't stop looking at her, at everything she did - each hand gesture, the way she blinked, how she tilted her head. He didn't want to be fooled again, though he was almost sure that this was Mary, in all her glory. She was so shy, trying to look at him and looking away when he met her gaze, and her fingers still clutching her sleeves.

"I wanted to see you…" She said, now daring to look up at him, smiling sweetly. "I've missed you terribly… And I knew you wanted company, James." She moved closer to him, and he gladly accepted her on his arms. Holding her close, he hid his face on the crook of her neck, taking in her scent - This was his Mary. His beloved woman.

"I d-did…" He answered, and surprised himself at how broken his voice sounded. He _did_ need the company, the comfort - After all that had happened, he just needed his wife and her true, faithful love. No lies, no tricks, no nightmares. Just her.

She didn't answer, and just looked down at him, caressing his hair as she smiled, still blushing. James knew perfectly what this meant - Love didn't need words or gestures, simply by looking at her eyes, he moved over to the other side of the bed, letting her lay by his side. She laughed softly, still caressing his hair, as she let him move on top of her, taking her lips with his own.

It was the only thing James needed.

She kissed back slowly, always shyly, as she caressed his back slowly, almost soothingly. James shivered a little, not used to it - He still had memories creeping at the back of his head, memories about other hands' caresses, and he couldn't help but remember it. Closing his eyes tightly, he cupped Mary's face with one hand, supporting himself with the other, as they broke apart.

"I missed you so much…" He whispered, and Mary moved her hand to rest on James' cheek, mirroring him.

"Me too, honey… You need to let go…" She smiled sadly, and moved to kiss him on the lips again, shortly. "You need to heal…"

"I don't know if I… can." James looked to the side, and he didn't quite know if they were talking about the same thing. Mary's eyes said she was, though, and her other hand resting on his back said it too, still caressing him, very slowly lifting his shirt. He shivered, and Mary kissed him again, bringing him lower above her again.

"You can do anything, love…"

Words were gone again, and James simply let himself go, as Mary had told him. He kissed her again, and let her hands wander up and down his back, under his clothes. It felt so right, so comfortable, he melted into the caress and relaxed, finally letting his body mold into Mary's again, kissing down to her neck, delighted with the soft, short breaths she let out with each kiss. He went lower, opening the few buttons at the start of her blouse - They were her pajamas, he noted. Smiling, he took her hand and kissed it, closing his eyes. He could do anything, for Mary. It was true. He could do anything. He could do it.

Pressing harder against his body, he kept his eyes closed and welcomed her soft moan, shivering when hearing it. He placed his knees around Mary's hips, so he could use his hands - one caressed her body, from her locks of hair down to her ear, her jaw, her neck, and the other held her hand. He felt her lay there, letting herself be caressed as her hand abandoned James' back and rested on his thigh, delicately stroking him, barely touching him and moving only her fingers. Impassioned, James sighed heavily, letting one hand leave Mary's body only to pull her sleeve up, where he kissed her fingers and her wrist. His other hand then traveled under her blouse, and touched her skin tenderly - She was so cold. He wanted to warm her up, to make her feel like she made him feel.

Alive.

He shivered when thinking this; Mary was the one thing that kept him alive. He wanted to thank her, to let her know as he kissed a trail up her arm, reaching her shoulders. He opened his eyes slowly to see her hair sprawled in the mattress, and closed them again, his hands holding Mary's tightly. He wanted to return the feeling, so badly…

But she was so, _so_ cold…

He probably had been cold before, too. Longing her touch and her strength. He gripped her hand, again, his other hand resting on her chest. His warmth had to help. The caresses had to help. Perhaps is he moved, if he kissed her again, she could give her the breath she had given him before. He moved up to reach her lips, opening his eyes once more.

Her head had rolled back.

He closed his eyes, and applied more force to her chest. He gripped her hand again, and he kissed her lips, knowing by memory where they were.

No heart beating.

No pulse.

Cold.

He gripped her hand tighter, and felt bones cracking like paper, sound evident even for his ears that wanted to hear nothing more than her moans. He dared to open his eyes once more, and say white eyes rolled back, saw blue lips and sick skin. He traveled one hand slowly down her body, her skin wrinkled, and her ribs showing. His other hand held her wrist, and he could poke the orifices between the bones in her arms.

With a scream, he jumped back, as far from her as he could.

James fell from the end of the bed backwards, hitting his head. He opened his eyes and got up quickly and dizzy, running away from his bed, closing his eyes as the tears he couldn't hold back rolled down his cheeks. He met a door and opened it, and without knowing where was he going, or why was the door open, he ran through the dark hallways, turning in any direction, as long as he was far from his room, mentally repeating to get away, to go away, and to never go back.

**End of Chapter Six.**

Ah, long time no see. As you probably saw this chapter actually had the sexual themes warning in the summary, hence why it's rated M. Took a lot of time to write this, mainly because I had to choose about what would I finally do with one certain scene.  
Well, no matter what happened, the story does go on and hopefully I'll update it much faster. ~ Sorry for the wait, and I hope you liked it!


	7. Chapter 7: Pieces intro

**Dreams, Lies, and Faceless Masks**

****-Chapter VII: Pieces (introduction)-

Go away,

Go away,

Go away,

Never come back…

Even though he knew perfectly he couldn't find a way back, he still felt like he was too close to his room and his bed, and entered more rooms, went through more doors, until the hallway stopped in a wall, where he supported his back as he slowly slid to the floor. Clutching his face with his hands, he felt like screaming; he didn't know how long he had been running, though it had left him breathless. Panting, he fell sideways to the floor, letting it cool him down.

James wasn't sure if the adrenaline or the fright or the running had left him so warm, but he felt like he was burning. Probably a fever of sorts. It surprised him how he never got sick, after all the beatings and the instruments Pyramid Head used to heal him, which he doubted were clean at all.

A shiver went up his spine at the mention of the monster, and James whined softly, hugging himself.

_Pathetic._

Looking around him, even though he could swear someone had whispered the word, his mind had said it too. He was pathetic. Lying in the cold floor, trembling, and only wishing to see the one being that had damaged him so much.

He closed his eyes.

He didn't even want to decide which being he was referring to.

Blocking the thought away, like afraid of opening a box because of its contents, he switched to his surroundings, like he always did to distract himself. The place was dark, barely lit by the dim light entering through a window blocked by newspapers. He stood up, seeing as the hallway had two doors, wondering what were their purpose. It looked useless, like a trick, like the end of a labyrinth.

Labyrinth.

Something clicked in his head, and the man walked through the hallway, supporting himself on the rusty walls. His socks barely resisted the cold surface under them, but he didn't mind - There was something in the end, like a ringing, like a constant noise he couldn't decipher. He met a split end, one way was another dead end with a window covered by newspapers too, and to the other side more darkness. He followed the dark path, still following the noise - He encountered locked doors, and in the end, a big, familiar door.

It was the one that led outside.

He stood there, staring at it like it was something out of this world, and kicking himself mentally for not trying before, he tried to open it. It was locked, of course. Sighing, he punched it lightly, to then rest his head against it.

So close to freedom.

It wasn't freedom, anyway. It was just a chance to escape and see the sunlight, and then _what_? Run back home? Keep looking for Mary? _Kill__himself_?

He wasn't even sure if this was the real world, if he could in fact kill himself, or what would happen once he did. Perhaps rest, like he wanted before, rest eternally to not be bothered ever again.

He smiled sadly.

One never knew what came after death.

He turned his back on the door, and went down the stairs that were close to it. He hadn't thought of it, and if he had, he didn't remember - Perhaps he _was_ dead and this was Hell. Something he apparently deserved.

Clutching his hair, he suppressed a moan.

He _didn__'__t_ deserve this…

Snapping him out of his thoughts, the noise came back. It wasn't his head, and he was sure this time - It was almost like a ringing, less high-pitched. And he was closer to it. He wandered through the hallways, trying to follow it, thinking about why it sounded so…familiar. Almost like he _had_ to follow it, or find its source. Still, his chase was interrupted by a stinging pain - he supported himself on the wall, feeling his legs weakening.

_D-Damn__it._ He thought, staying against the wall a few seconds, to rest. His legs were too tired, and he supposed it was normal, after running so much. James pulled up his pant leg, and met an ugly scar, not bandaged anymore, also showing bruised skin. That wouldn't heal up. Some scars just never healed, not even with time.

_Pathetic._

The blonde looked up. In this floor, noises were much more clear. And that voice was not his. He shivered, trying to block it out. He wasn't inventing voices on his head. And he wasn't inventing noises, either, this one was real, and he would find it.

Ignoring now the pain, which had softened a bit, he continued his chase through the hallways. 

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE, PLEASE READ. **

****Well hello there, do you hate me, readers? I surely do hate myself for not keeping up with this story. It's been what, two years already? And I must say, it still is the fanfiction I hold closest to my heart, I love this story.  
But as I told someone already, I promised that no matter how long it would take me, I WOULD FINISH IT.  
And it's a promise. I will finish this story. Believe me, it's hard to keep it close since I've already beaten Silent Hill 2 like what, 6 times already? It's hard to find the inspiration, but I'll do my best.

THANK YOU SO MUCH if you're still reading this. This was a really short peek of the seventh chapter, that I will be writing from now on. I promise things will get moving, I still remember all the ideas I had planned for this, and I shall bring them and do my best. Thank you again if you're still reading it!


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